News

• Complaints about Lynde House upheld

The department of health has confirmed that Chai Patel has resigned from his position as government adviser on older people’s issues, writes Clare Jerrom.

Patel has stood down as member of the older people’s taskforce, and Help the Aged's board of trustees following a damning report published earlier this month, into the conditions of a nursing home owned by Westminster Health Care (see 'related articles' below). Patel was chief executive of Westminster Health Care until earlier this year.

The independent investigation into Lynde House, Twickenham, was commissioned last year as a result of concerns raised by relatives of people cared for at the home. It cited low staffing levels, inadequately trained staff, alongside "poor and inadequate" supply of equipment.

Patel stepped down as chief executive of Westminster Health Care several months ago, and became chief executive of its sister company, Priory Healthcare, an independent provider of mental health services.

A Priory Healthcare spokesperson said Patel’s resignation from Help the Aged was due to the controversy surrounding Lynde House. The charity was acting on behalf of some of the 70 older residents there, and Patel felt it would cause the charity embarrassment if he remained on the board;

Help the Aged agreed Patel’s resignation "was driven by his wish to protect the charity from any embarrassment or perceived compromise resulting from the Lynde House inquiry, currently being contested by Westminster Health Care".

But the Priory Healthcare spokesperson said Patel decided to step down from the government’s taskforce because he felt it would be inappropriate to advise the government on older people when he no longer had day-to-day work in that area.

He therefore decided to resign when his tenure expires in November, the spokesperson added.