THE daughter of a resident of Ivy House, which offers sheltered accommodation in Corams Lane, Wellington, has complained about problems with a lift, which has severely affected residents.

Sarah Barter, whose mother lives on the first floor and has respiratory disease, says residents at the Abbeyfield-owned property have been without an effective and safe lift for over a year.

She says it has broken frequently and claims older people have been stuck in the lift, struggled and hurt themselves trying to get out. Residents have been left to use the stairs, which she feels is unsafe for some residents, including her mother because of her health problems.

She says Abbeyfield charges more than £600 a month for a one-bedroom flat but had not adequately repaired the lift to resolve the longstanding problem.

Abbeyfield divisional director Teresa Parker acknowledged a serious issue for residents and said the lift would be repaired next month.

She said the lift was installed when the house was built and although it had been regularly serviced and maintained, a problem had emerged during the summer.

Teresa said: “As a result of this, Abbeyfield began the process of replacing the lift. Our board set aside funds to do so, contractors have been selected and a 12-week window of time was needed to manufacture the new lift car. We will be carrying out the work, starting in January 2016.”

She said residents had wanted to avoid disruption over Christmas and unanimously voted for the work to be carried out next month. Regular meetings had taken place with residents and their families to keep them informed about the problem, the most recent on December 11.

The possibility of installing a stairlift to provide a second access to the top floor had been investigated but as it would not meet building regulations the idea was dropped.

Teresa added: “At Abbeyfield we have a strict policy around reporting injuries to our residents. We have not received any reports of residents hurting themselves struggling to get out of the lift as alleged.

“In terms of charges to our residents, our rates are set following guidance issued by our regulator, the Homes and Communities Agency, and are therefore comparable with other providers in that area.

“We acknowledge that this has been a significant problem for our residents and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.”

On its website Ivy House says it provides residents with the privacy of their own accommodation combined with the companionship of others and the security and support of dedicated house staff. It has 24 flats, a mixture of one- and two-bedrooms, and studios all with their own kitchens and bathrooms.