A worried daughter fears her elderly mother will not live much longer if the care home she is living closes down.

Debbie Edmonds, 54, has spoken against the proposed closure of Holcroft House over fears her 78-year-old mum, Gillian Smith, would not cope well with the move to a different home.

The 34-bed residential home in Thornhill is under threat after a fire safety assessment in 2021 identified a number of issues.

Earlier this month, councillors heard it would need to be ‘knocked down and rebuilt’ to meet modern standards, according to deputy city council leader, Cllr Lorna Fielker.

Gillian, who suffers from dementia, has been living in the home - the last council-owned facility left in the city - for eight years.

She requires full-time care and Debbie, her eldest daughter, says her mum considers the place her home.

She said: “She doesn’t like leaving her little area. She never asks to go home, she’s been there for eight years, and the carers are lovely, and she is really happy there.

“The level of care my mum gets there helps us sleep better at night. It’s amazing.”

Daily Echo: Gillian Smith in the middle with Debbie Edmonds on the right and sister Ali

If the care home were to close, Debbie says the option to go private could see Gillian not having a room for herself which is in her eyes, would drastically impact her mother's health.

She said: “If my mum ended up having to share her bedroom with someone else it would be very unfair because I’m sure they wouldn’t want to have five people in their room when the five of us are visiting my mum.”

She added: “This has been her home for so long, I don’t think she would take it very well if she had to move. I fear she wouldn’t survive for much longer.”

Cllr Lorna Fielker, deputy leader and Cabinet member for adults, housing and health said: “The council has a legal duty to provide appropriate levels of care for elderly and vulnerable adults in Southampton.

“Many of the residents in Holcroft House require specialist dementia care and while our staff do an amazing job providing that, the building itself needs extensive renovation to ensure it can provide suitable and safe accommodation.

“As the required works would be ongoing for around 80 weeks and would be highly disruptive to residents’ lives, we have carried out an extensive consultation with residents, their advocates, their carers, our staff and the public on the future of care provision at the home.

“Myself and the Executive Director for Wellbeing and Housing have met face-to-face with families of residents as part of the consultation process to hear the voices of all those effected.

“We are continuing to carefully consider what the next steps are for the residents of Holcroft House and we will ensure that the wellbeing of the residents will be the overriding factor in any decision that is made.”