ELDERLY residents may have to move away from family and friends after the care home where they live closes in a month.

The 19 residents at Beaconsfield House, a private care home in Ledborough Lane, Beaconsfield, learnt last week that it was closing.

Home chaplain Hazel Chow, who is also lay minister at St Michael's Church in Warwick Road, Beaconsfield, said the owners' decision to close at such short notice was 'appalling'.

She said: "We owe so much to our elderly and at that time of life they are being told to move from their home. That is appalling. They should have had more time to move out.

"My personal view is that this is people's homes and they have been given a month to find alternative accommodation. Is that fair?"

Pauline Patterson, 50, of Chalk Hill, Chesham, whose mother is a resident at the home, said: "We are trying to look for places but we don't want her to go far. Some of the people who go to visit her are pensioners and they can't go far.

"I'm very downhearted. My mum had only been in there for 14 months but she was ill in hospital before that.

"When you get her settled and then you have to uproot her it's very sad. I'm very worried for her. Will the move upset her or pull her back? I'm shocked."

John Rushbrook, operations manager for Whitefields Care Ltd, which runs the home, said: "I feel that is enough time for the residents to find new homes and there are good reasons for the home closing.

"Social services will help us find homes for the people. We have found two places for 18 of the home's residents already.

"If there are any people left after July 27 we will keep the home open for them to find places. The directors could not keep it going any longer because of financial pressures."

A spokesman for Buckinghamshire County Council's social services said: "We have allocated two social workers to look for alternative accommodation for the residents.

"The county is very short of nursing home places and it will not be an easy task to find new places for all the people but we are hopeful we can place people as close to where they wish to be as possible."