Warwickshire News Mine

Future plans could include the possibility of phased closure of its in-house residential care homes over a period of several years.  Before any proposals or decisions are made, the Council will speak to residents, their families and staff to get their views and to understand the impact of any possible decision on each of the current residents. The three month consultation will run from 1 August to 31 October. 

The initial consultation is being driven by changes in the way that older people are choosing to live in later life, along with demographic and budgetary pressures.

Cllr Mrs Izzi Seccombe, Portfolio Holder for Adult, Health and Community Services, said: "We want Warwickshire’s residents to live in dignity in old age and we have to deliver services that are fit for the 21st century. Demographic and budgetary pressures mean that we have to transform the way we do things if we want to protect our services for the future."

Warwickshire County Council runs ten traditional residential care homes, most of which were constructed more than 30 years ago. Since the care homes were built, there has been a major shift in the way that older people choose to live in later life with the vast majority wanting to live in their own homes for as long as possible. Despite extensions and updates over the years, some of the Council’s in-house homes are also in need of modernisation.

Cllr Mrs Izzi Seccombe, Portfolio Holder for Adult, Health and Community Services, said: "We understand that our care home residents will be concerned and that is why our overriding priority is to speak to them first. This process can not be rushed and that is why we will be having one-to-one conversations with residents and their families over the next three months to seek their views. Before making any proposals we will take into full consideration the welfare and care needs of our residents."

John Bolton, Interim Director of Adult Services, said: "In the current economic climate, and following the recent Budget from the new Government (22 June 2010) which indicates a probable 25% reduction in the funding available for local authorities for adult social care, the Council has to ensure that it is delivering cost-effective services.

“Our in-house homes are much more expensive than the external market and we have to seriously consider whether it is sustainable to continue as providers. The majority of residential care home places in Warwickshire are run by the voluntary and private care sector and we know that the capacity and quality is there in the external market."

John Bolton added: “The Council is reshaping its care model and wants to concentrate on a wider range of home-based support, Extra Care Housing and better provision for people with dementia.”

Cllr Izzi Seccombe added: “In reflecting the changing needs and preferred choices of people who use our services, we are already developing plans with our partners to provide at least 500 new Extra Care Housing units for older people in Warwickshire by the end of 2013. Extra Care Housing offers greater privacy and independence for older people, and our experience of the first scheme at Briar Croft in Stratford shows that this option is clearly what older people want. The accommodation, which means residents live in their own apartments but with the option of communal facilities and 24-hour care when it is needed, was in full use within days of it opening. Extra Care Housing also gives older people who are home owners the option to keep equity rather than selling their property to fund residential care.”

The Council is also developing a number of its home based services including telecare (i.e. using assistive technology to maintain people in their own homes or a home environment), adaptations which are improvements to existing homes such as installing ramps etc, and a range of reablement (or recovery) services which help older people to regain their independence in their own homes after an illness or a hospital stay.

Link to WCC