Upcoming developments at Benoni Nursing Home

This is a joint communication from Benoni Nursing Home and Cornwall Council which has been circulated to our residents' loved ones. We are making this public so that the wider community is aware of our upcoming developments.

Benoni Nursing Home
We are writing to inform you of our plans for the future of our home and to explain an important change we are currently exploring.

As you may be aware, we have experienced ongoing difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified nurses over many months. As 24-hour nursing care can only be safely provided with trained nursing staff in place at all times, we have had to carefully review how we operate. After much consideration, and with great reluctance, we are therefore planning to reduce our registration status from a nursing home to a residential home.

This has not been an easy decision, and it is one we have worked very hard to avoid. For a nursing home to remain viable, the majority of beds must be occupied by residents assessed as requiring nursing care, which attracts a higher level of funding. In recent years, this has become increasingly difficult to achieve, as new admissions are more often assessed as residential rather than nursing. As a result, the income required to safely sustain 24-hour nursing provision — including the ongoing use of agency nurses — has not been sufficient.

We want to reassure you that this transition will take time. At present, we are still in discussions with the local council, and we anticipate that any change will take several months. There will be no immediate changes to how the home operates. Our nurses will continue to lead care delivery, and day-to-day life in the home will remain the same.

Our intention is to continue caring for our current nursing residents for as long as possible and to manage this transition in a gradual, and compassionate way. Your loved ones are safe and secure with us, and their wellbeing remains our absolute priority.

During this period, there will be opportunities for recruitment, training, and development for staff who wish to progress into more senior roles, helping to ensure continuity and stability for residents.

We understand that news like this may raise questions or concerns, and we are committed to keeping you fully informed. We will give due notice of any future changes and will be holding an open meeting for residents and their loved ones, where you will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss this further with us directly.

Thank you for your continued trust and support. We remain dedicated to providing a caring, respectful, and welcoming home for all who live here.

Cornwall Council
Benoni Nursing Home have made us aware of their intention to deregister from Nursing Placements. We understand that this may be unsettling and would like to reassure you that we will be working closely with Benoni to ensure that where required there is a safe transition for people impacted.

Colleagues from Cornwall Council and the Integrated Health Board will work together to undertake assessment for people that are in nursing placements.

If there is a requirement for you to move to another nursing home following this then we will work through the options with you.

If you have any concerns that you wish to raise you can contact us on 0300 1234 131.