Shropshire Council to reduce number of day care centres
The number of buildings Shropshire Council runs as day centres is to be reduced.
A new report contains a number of recommendations, including a proposal to close Hartley’s and Sabrina Court day centres in Shrewsbury, and Innage Lane day centre in Bridgnorth, mainly due to user numbers declining and the buildings no longer being fit for use.
A new day centre is being proposed for Oswestry to replace two existing centres – Avalon and Lorne Street – because the buildings are no longer fit for purpose.
The report also recommends the development of the commerciality of day services provided at Oak Farm, Greenacres Farm, Patchworks and Maesbury Metals to secure their long-term future.
Councillor Tim Barker, Cabinet member for adult services, will consider the report at a meeting on 1 August 2013. The report is open for public discussion, and anyone can make comments by emailing Tim directly at tim.barker@shropshire.gov.uk or by calling 01743 250347.
Councillor Barker said:
“This is really a continuation of the work the council is doing as a whole – going to the customer or service user and asking them what services they need rather than dictating to them what we think they want.
“This work started in 2010 and continued last summer, when we had the biggest consultation ever seen with people who use adult social care services. What came across loud and clear during that consultation was that people wanted choice and control over the support they needed.
“So that’s what we are doing. We are talking to people who use adult social care services, and their families and carers, about giving them the choice to do different things instead of the traditional approach of being taken to a day centre. That could be employing a personal assistant to help do things themselves, attending art classes or going to a football match. The whole aim is to give people choice by allowing them to spend a personal care budget on activities that are right for them.”
Another report being considered involves elements of support services for adults with learning disabilities being transferred to independent providers.
A report being put to the Cabinet member for adult services for consideration recommends that Community Living, Shared Lives and Kempsfield residential home should be re-commissioned to be provided by another organisation.
The report recommends that Community Living and Shared Lives are re-commissioned through a procurement process and transferred to an independent provider by April 2014.
Detailed discussions will take place with potential partners, and the people who currently use these services, before any decisions are made.
Shropshire Council runs 17 buildings, 10 of which are exclusively used to provide day services.
