Residents moved after care worker arrested

North Yorkshire Police confirmed yesterday that inquiries at the Lifestyle Care Home, Weeland Road, Eggborough, near Selby, were continuing.

The home, a former hotel, offers respite nursing care for up to 20 adults, both male and female, suffering from disabilities.

North Yorkshire County Council decided to relocate its clients after a 43-year-old man from Pontefract was arrested by police.

A North Yorkshire County Council spokesman said: "We work to ensure people looked after by North Yorkshire County Council receive the best quality care available.

"North Yorkshire County Council has moved people we were funding out of the home because of concerns for people's safety.

"There were 18 people in the home. Not all of them were funded by North Yorkshire County Council. But the majority of people have been moved out of the home, to my knowledge 10 or 12 days ago.

"They have been relocated to various care homes."

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said yesterday: "A 43-year-old man from Pontefract has been arrested in connection with an investigation at the Lifestyles Care Home in Eggborough.

"He was taken into custody for questioning on 13 January 2011 and later released on police bail pending further enquiries.

"North Yorkshire Police is working in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council as the investigation continues.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

Police have refused to give any further details of the investigation.

However it also emerged yesterday that a review of standards at the home by watchdog the Care Quality Commission is pending.

A CQC spokeswoman said yesterday: "The Care Quality Commission carried out a review of services at Lifestyles Care Home in Eggborough last week and will publish the results shortly.

"We are aware some residents have been moved out of the home and are working closely with the local authority on this issue."

Lifestyles Care Home was formerly called Lifestyles Care Centre, but the name was changed in 2009 at the owner's request

The home was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission in June 2009, when it was given a "good" rating of two out of three stars.

The report found much to praise at the time, including the fact that the local vicar visited monthly to provide a religious service and on the day of the inspection team's visit the local policeman called into the home.

Neither the home nor the commission had received any complaints since the previous inspection a year before, according to the 2009 inspection report.

It was also noted all the people living at Lifestyles at the time of the last inspection had lived there for a number of years.

The home also won an award earlier in 2009 from a trade magazine in recognition of the improvements which have been made to the site.

"A senior manager now carries out unannounced visits to the home to monitor and record how the home is running," the 2009 report said.

"A record of these visits is now kept at the home.

"This helps to check that the home is running properly and was a requirement made at the last inspection."

Yesterday the Yorkshire Post contacted the Lifestyle Care home, run by Lifestyle (Yorkshire) Care Ltd, but was told there was no one available to comment either at the home or the company.