A RENFREWSHIRE care home that supports people with sight loss is set to close, with bosses citing “unsustainable financial losses.”

Sight Scotland plans to shut Jenny’s Well, in Paisley, after being forced to delve into the charity’s own reserves to keep the specialist facility going during the coronavirus pandemic.

The state-of-the-art care home opened its doors in 2017 and was built alongside the Hawkhead Centre for visually-impaired veterans as part of a £17million groundbreaking project.

During 2019/20, the Hawkhead Road home reported a deficit of £730,000 – and bosses have now been told there is little chance of transforming its fortunes following the devastating impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.

It is understood dozens of jobs are now under threat, with staff currently going through a consultation process.

Mark O’Donnell, chief executive of Sight Scotland, said: “It is with great sadness we have announced we are proposing to potentially close our two care homes for older people – Jenny’s Well, in Paisley, and Braeside House, in Edinburgh.

“An increasingly difficult financial environment for care homes has meant we have had to subsidise heavily our older people’s care homes from our charitable reserves, to a level that is no longer sustainable.

“Jenny’s Well reported a financial deficit of £730,000 for the year ending 2019/20. The pandemic has thrown these issues into sharp relief.

“We have sought independent expert advice from different sources, all of which has sadly concluded there is little realistic prospect of turning this around.

“We are engaging in a consultation process with affected staff and will be supporting the residents and their families in their transition to alternative care arrangements.

“We will continue to provide care to residents until alternative provision has been identified for them and we will be working closely with health and social care partnerships during this process.

“Over the next decade, the number of people living with visual impairment in Scotland will increase by 30,000 and Sight Scotland has had to reflect on how we can best meet the needs of a growing number of older people with sight loss who will require care and support in their communities.

“While we are proposing to change how we support older people living with sight loss, we are also taking forward plans to develop new services to support the increasing number of visually-impaired older people.”

Jenny’s Well has 54 bedrooms but it is understood only 21 residents are living there at the moment.

It is believed Sight Scotland could shut the care home in as little as three months’ time.

Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) said it is working with the charity, residents and their families to offer support.

A spokesman added: “Our thoughts are with the residents and staff of Jenny’s Well at this worrying time.

“We will continue to work closely with Sight Scotland and directly with residents and their families to offer our support and ensure the best possible outcome for all residents.”