A York care home run by a masonic company is set to be sold following a decision to exit the sector.
The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution Care Company (RMBI Care Co) has announced it is selling its portfolio of 15 care homes across England and Wales, including Fulford’s Connaught Court.
It is looking for buyers to take the homes on and keep them running for the 958 residents living across the 15 sites which employ around 1,500 people.
RMBI Care Co Chair John Boyington said the decision was intended to place the homes in the right ownership though they recognised it would cause uncertainty.
It follows a review by the company and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) which found the investment needed to continue running the homes was unsustainable.
Connaught Court, in St Oswalds Road, Fulford York. Photograph: Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute Care Company
The organisations stated it came amid rising property maintenance, staffing and energy costs facing the care sector while local authority support is under pressure.
The review also found RMBI homes required investment to continue to support residents with increasingly complex needs which the buildings were not designed to accommodate.
Selling agents Christie & Co are set to handle the sale of the homes and the RMBI expects the homes to continue operating as normal throughout the process.
Connaught Court, in St Oswald’s Road, is among the three RMBI homes currently rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The Fulford home has capacity for up to 94 residents and offers both permanent care and short-stay respite breaks.
It features extensive homes, a dedicated dementia support house, hosts activities and entertainment and on-site catering offering a variety of meals.
The Freemasons, through the United Grand Lodge of England, historically ran a number of charity schools and hospitals in London and the Home Counties from the late 18th Century.
Photograph: Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute Care Company
Their operating charities have been sold in recent decades as the Freemasons have moved from delivering services directly towards providing grants for them.
RMBI Chair Mr Boyington said they were determined to find buyers for the homes best-placed to deliver services and residents’ safety and wellbeing remained their highest priority in the meantime.
The chair said: “For more than 180 years, we have been proud to provide high-quality care for older people.
“For the future, however, our residential homes will require both investment and operating improvements to continue to deliver a high quality standard of care, which is no longer sustainable for the RMBI.”
James Long, president and chair of the MCF Freemasons’ charity, said the move would give the organisation the opportunity to review the way it supports older people.
Mr Long said: “In doing so this will ensure that MCF can better serve the changing care needs of current and future generations in communities across the entire country.”