A MEETING to examine what went wrong at a Colchester care home which was forced to shut will be held behind closed doors.

Colchester councillors will question the Essex Safeguarding Adults Board next week about abuse allegations which led to the closure of Greenways Care Home.

Borough councillors say the board – which has representatives from Essex County Council, the NHS, the probation service and other official bodies – only agreed to meet them on October 12 on the understanding the meeting would be closed to the public and press.

Greenways, a former Essex County Council home in St Fillian Road, Colchester, was being run on the council’s behalf by a company called Excelcare when it was closed on November 1, 2008.

The closure came after the county council received five complaints of abuse and a letter from an unhappy member of staff.

A summary of its failings was published in May – more than 18 months after it closed and its 31 residents had been moved.

Colchester Council’s strategic overview and scrutiny panel wants to know more about what went wrong and the lessons learned.

Borough councillor Paul Smith, who represents St John’s ward, where the home used to be, said: “My electors want to know what went wrong.

“They raised a lot of concerns at the time.

“To then find out three years later was horrifying for us. We need to find out what could be done to ensure this doesn’t happen in any other care home in the borough. I do think there has been excessive secrecy by Essex County Council.

“It has never published the full report and even county councillors scrutinising the situation were only allowed to see an executive summary.

“If it has nothing to hide, then why not be open about it? It is not Colchester Council which wanted it to be a closed meeting – it was Essex County Council.

“It made it clear it would only attend if it was held in private.”

Rhonda Warren, of Prince Philip Road, Monkwick, whose mother was among the 31 residents moved out of Greenways, said: “I think it’s disgusting.

“Why would you hold a meeting like that and not allow anyone else to be there?”

“What are they hiding?”

The Gazette contacted Essex Safeguarding Adults Board, but no one was available to comment.