Serious questions remain over why residents at a care home for dementia sufferers were given just a few hours' notice that it was being shut down.

Last Tuesday, chaotic scenes unfolded at Merok Park Nursing Home, in Park Road, Banstead, where police and paramedics had to be deployed to help move 25 elderly residents out.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the health and social care services watchdog, ordered it to shut after it discovered residents were being washed with cold water, that the home stank of urine, was under-staffed and had people working there without criminal records checks.

FROM DECEMBER 9: 'Massive upheaval' for elderly dementia sufferers after inspectors swoop to close Banstead nursing home

Some relatives claimed they only found out what was happening hours before the closure.

While the CQC has said it told Surrey County Council (SCC) of its decision to close the home days in advance and that it was the local authority’s responsibility to inform and move residents, this is understood to be disputed by the council.

At the time of the closure, Les Shields, from Epsom, told this newspaper he was deeply worried the traumatic upheaval of the residents, including his 78-year-old father, could put their lives at risk - and one died within two days.

When asked why residents at Merok Park were not given more notice of the move, a CQC spokeswoman said it informed SCC and Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group (SDCCG) on Friday, December 5, of its plans to close Merok Park on Tuesday, December 9.

She said: "It wouldn’t be the CQC’s role to go into the home and tell residents and relatives we were closing it.

"We would expect the local authority to go in and tell them.

"It’s their responsibility to move the residents and tell them they are moving them."

She said responsibility also fell on the provider to do this.

But it is understood that SCC disputes this.

A source told the Epsom Guardian the CQC informed Merok Park it would be closed on the day it was being closed - Tuesday, December 9 - and SCC could not start making alternative arrangements for residents until this time.

A SDCCG spokesman said: "Following concerns raised, a multi-agency meeting, including neighbouring local authorities, health and the CQC was held on Thursday 4 December.

"A decision was made at this meeting to invoke the provider failure protocol’ and identify alternative placements for residents to move into within a two week period.

"Letters informing residents and relatives of this decision were sent out by first class on Friday 5 December.

"The CQC issued a notice of decision to permanently close Merok Park on Tuesday 9 December. "As soon as the CQC confirmed that the notice would be served, the multi-agency team immediately informed relatives and began the process of transferring residents to new homes."

Speaking to the Epsom Guardian at the time of Merok Park’s closure, Mr Shields said: "Some of them could die because of this.

"This is a massive upheaval for these people. Many of them are institutionalised and confused.

It has since emerged that, 36 hours later a man of 85, died after being transferred to Warrengate Nursing Home, in Kingswood - although the cause of his death is not know.

Julia Graystone, whose aunt was also a resident at Merok Park, said: "The gentleman who moved from Merok Park with her died the next night.

"He was too weak to survive the move.

"To see so many old people crying and scared is not something I would wish to see ever again."

Do you know more? Contact Hardeep Matharu on the newsdesk by calling 020 8722 6346 or by emailing hmatharu@london.newsquest.co.uk.