CREWKERNE doctors are to meet with social services officials and Somerset Primary Care Trust (PCT) to discuss concerns about the lack of residential beds for elderly people in the town.

As previously reported in the Western Gazette, Crewkerne Health Centre GPs are worried about a decrease in residential places at The Orchards Care Home as part of a £5million upgrade.

Planning permission was approved for the work on the home, off East Street, by South Somerset District Council in February. The trust says it is needed to bring it up to 21st-Century standards.

Fourteen extra care apartments will be created by demolishing a 1960s extension which contains 33 beds. People will be able to live independently in the apartments and call on paid-for-care as and when they need it.

The plans also involve refurbishing and extending the existing grade-II listed 30-bedroom nursing wing to create 44 bedrooms for social and nursing care. Doctors claims this new scheme will mean a reduction in overall nursing and social care provision.

The home has previously admitted it will not be taking in any new patients on its social care wing while the work is carried out, leaving no places in the town for people needing a residential place. And the new-look home will have fewer beds.

The doctors' concerns lead to a meeting with Paul Raine, chief executive of Somerset Redstone Trust, which runs the home on Tuesday 7 April.

One of them Dr Berge Balian said: "The only thing we can do is have some discussions with the PCT and social services about the overall availability with beds in the area.

"As they (Redstone) quite rightly said the people living in their facilities will have a far more updated living environment - which is fantastic.

"But it generally doesn't solve the concern about an increasing elderly population and the number of people who want to stay in their home town."

He added that the ideal situation would be another residential home being opened in town - as the Orchards is currently the only one - but increasing restrictions on managers has been making it increasing difficult and less attractive for people to get involved with.