A mum has been left fearing for her daughter's life following plans to close Kidderminster's only nursing home for adults with complex learning disabilities. 

Coombe House, the town's last remaining nursing home of its kind, is set to close its doors in January leaving families scrambling to find suitable alternatives for their loved ones. 

The home has been supporting residents with complex intellectual and neurological disabilities for 30 years and currently cares for 11 vulnerable people with 26 members of staff. 

The current operator, Praxis Care, which has run the facility for 18 years, will cease operations at the location after Citizen Housing decided not to renew its lease as the building is in "substantial" disrepair. 

Families now fear their loved ones will be placed in inappropriate settings such as elderly care homes, which are ill-equipped to meet the needs of adults with learning disabilities.  

Deborah Wood, whose 40-year-old daughter Beth Hubbard is a resident at Coombe House, described the closure as a "matter of life or death".

She said: "Specialised care for vulnerable adults is a right not a privilege. 

"Moving residents to general care homes is simply not an option. Not only would it mean a significant decline in their quality of life, but it would also put their health and well-being at risk."  

A number of safeguarding concerns have been raised over the closure with Ms Wood saying her daughter lost 10kg in weight at one facility which was unsuitable for her needs. 

Praxis Care has decided to withdraw some of its services in England, but no alternative care provider has been secured for Coombe House. 

Families have now launched a campaign to urgently find a new care provider and a suitable building before the January deadline. 

The group are also advocating for the re-employment of the existing staff members. 

Ms Wood added: "Elizabeth has had five happy years at Coombe. I thought this was going to be her forever home but it turns out it's going to be her sixth move since she's been an adult."

Residents and their families are calling on Worcestershire County Council, potential care providers and the wider community to come together and find a way to keep Coombe House open or find a suitable alternative provider.

In response, Councillor Richard Morris, cabinet member for adult social care at Worcestershire County Council, said: "We understand that this is an incredibly stressful time for the residents and families. 

"Our professional teams are working closely with health and care partners, the care provider, residents and their families to find an alternative provision, which will ensure the care and support needs of each individual continue to be met safely and in an appropriate setting before the home closes."

The county council said Citizen Housing, which owns Coombe House, carried out an assessment which identified "substantial" repair and maintenance issues and they made the decision not to extend their lease with Praxis Care. 

Councillor Morris added: "Following this, we, alongside NHS England, have pursued all avenues to try and find an alternative organisation who could take on care of the residents and responsibility for the building. 

"Regrettably, due to the long-term maintenance issues along with the age and layout of Coombe House, no other care provider or housing association has come forward. 

"Despite our best efforts to help source other interested parties, we have been unable to secure a viable solution to continue the service. Our work and efforts will always be to try and find the best outcome for our residents." 

Director of housing care and support at Citizen Housing, Peter Gill, said: "We informed Praxis and the commissioners that we would be selling the building 18 months ago as we wanted to ensure they had enough time to look at alternative arrangements. 

"Citizen wants to provide good quality homes that are suitable and appropriate for customers who live in them. Coombe House is very old and not purpose-built or designed for modern-day living. It is in need of significant investment and unfortunately funding is not available to modernise the building. 

"We recognise that this may be an unsettling time for the people in Coombe House and we’re committed to working with Praxis during this period." 

All money from the sale is set to go back into the NHS. 

Praxis Care said it "deeply regrets" the closure and worked closely with the NHS, Worcestershire County Council and Citizen Housing to find another property to replace Coombe House. 

Carol Breen, CEO of Praxis Care, said: "Unfortunately, due to the long-term maintenance costs along with the age and layout of Coombe House, no other care provider or housing association has been willing to take on this service or property. 

"We have explored all possible options within the NHS and the wider housing sector, but sadly, we have been unable to secure a viable alternative solution. This leaves us with no choice but to close Coombe House." 

Praxis Care has also committed to supporting the residents and employees throughout the transition. 

Ms Breen added: "With a heavy heart, we acknowledge that our residents will need to be relocated to other care providers.

"We understand the emotional and practical impact this will have on our residents, their families and our staff.

"Our priority is to ensure that this transition is managed with as little disruption as possible."