THREE private care homes in Worcestershire have had their council contracts terminated after complaints about poor quality care.

Two of the homes have since been forced to close after Worcestershire County Council withdrew its residents following welfare concerns.

The three homes are:

- The Hall in Bromsgrove, where 28 elderly residents were moved out in November after Legionnaires’ disease was found in the water supply. It has now closed.

- The Old Vicarage Care Home in Tibberton Road, Malvern, which shut in December after residents were found with no heating or hot water.

- Westwood Care Home in Bath Road, Worcester. The home remains open despite the council terminating its contract and moving out its residents following “quality and care issues”.

The Care and Quality Commission has launched a new inspection of the Westwood facility, which has yet to conclude.

Your Worcester News can also reveal how since April 2012, the council has received complaints about 22 different care homes across Worcestershire.

In total, four were deemed serious enough to have contracts terminated, but in one of those cases, a facility for people with learning disabilities, it was re-instated.

Councillor Sheila Blagg, cabinet member for adult social care, speaking during a full council meeting, said: “I don’t think we can ever do enough - if you ever start to think you have and start getting complacent, something will come back to bite you.

“Calls about complaints with care homes often come straight to me, as I’m the cabinet member and when they do, I will always take it up and follow it through to a conclusion.”

Nobody at the Westwood Care Home was available for comment last night.

Back in 2012 the QCQ said it had failed two out of five inspection criteria. Inspectors said they had moderate concerns about care and the welfare of people who use the service, and that records were not being kept up to date, but at the time the owners hit back by insisting they were wrong.

A spokesman for the council said: “Officers of Worcestershire County Council have been working with Westwood Care Home in Worcester for some time to ensure that care provided to residents is of the standard required.

“We have now taken the decision to terminate the council’s contract with Westwood.”

The exact reasons behind the termination have not been revealed.

The council says if people want to report problems at care homes in Worcestershire they can call 0845 607 2000.