Residents of a Cornwall Council-run care home have been told they will have to move out.

Twenty two elderly people who live at Trefula House, near Redruth, will have to find alternative accommodation after the care home was deemed “not fit for purpose”.

It was hoped that a replacement care home would be built on the site at Vogue, near St Day, while Trefula House remained open. However, this has not been possible and so staff will now work with the NHS to find new homes for the occupants, some of whom have dementia.

Trefula provides nursing care for 22 elderly people. The building is currently registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide a maximum of 28 nursing home beds. It has an additional 14 bedrooms upstairs, which have been closed and are not registered due to health and safety risks.

Cornwall Council’s care business Corserv took over the running of Trefula in August 2019 from previous operator Tre’Care Group Ltd following a critical CQC report.

Corserv has taken a number of steps to quickly improve standards, including recruiting a highly-experienced manager and specialist clinical staff. However, it soon realised the building would need to be replaced.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Following Cornwall Council’s takeover of Trefula in 2019 it was recognised that the building was not fit for purpose and would need to be redeveloped. Our long-term ambition is to identify a developer who can build a new care home on the site that will be fit for purpose for the residents of St Day and the surrounding area.

“The aim was to redevelop the site while the current building remained open. However, feedback from potential bidders has been that the site cannot be developed while the existing service continues. This is due to the state of the building and significant expenditure required to ensure ongoing compliance with health and safety.

“Staff will now work with the NHS to assess residents and along with their families consider options for a suitable alternative care home placement in the area. Once all residents have moved to their new home Trefula will be closed. It is thought that this will be completed by March 2025.”

The spokesperson added: “Corserv will redeploy members of staff working at Trefula into other areas of the business wherever possible. Should staff not wish to transfer to other services we will support them to identify other opportunities though the Proud to Care Cornwall team.”

Of the 22 residents at Trefula House as of August 7, only five people are eligible for Funded Nursing Care, which means 17 people should not be placed in a nursing home and could have their needs met in a residential care home, or other supported housing solution.

Trefula House is a converted and extended farm house set in landscaped gardens in an area of outstanding natural beauty.