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Improvement and Scrutiny Committee - People - Monday, 2 December 2024 11.00 am
December 2, 2024 View on council websiteSummary
This meeting considered two call-ins, on decisions made by the Council’s Cabinet on 14 November 2024 about the future of residential care homes and day centres for older people, and the cessation of several discretionary grants. The report packs do not tell us what was actually discussed, or what decisions were made.
Call in of decision to close homes and day centres
The most significant topic in this meeting was the call-in of the decision made by Cabinet on 14 November 2024 to close eight of the eleven Council-run care homes for older people, and to stop providing day care services at five of its eight day centres. The decision would also end day care at Lacemaker Court as part of the home’s closure. The call-in was requested by Councillors George, Burfoot, Dixon, Clarke Fordham, Kinsella and Mihaly on the basis that the decision-making process breached several articles of the Council’s constitution.
The objections made in the call-in notice were that:
- The financial impact of the decision has not been adequately demonstrated, both in terms of the money it would save and the money it could cost.
- The decision would have a harmful effect on the wellbeing of many elderly residents who live at the homes, due to the uncertainty and disruption.
- The report presented to Cabinet did not properly take into account demographic data on the ageing population, or the fact that the proportion of elderly people using long-term care in Derbyshire is lower than the average for England and the rest of the region.
- Cabinet was not provided with a detailed report on the results of the consultation, and had to rely on an Equality Impact Statement alone in making its decision.
The report pack contains the full report that was presented to Cabinet for its meeting on 14 November 2024, which contains the rationale for the closures and a summary of the consultation responses. This report argued that:
- The Council’s resources are not being used in a sustainable way to meet demand.
Like Councils across the country, Derbyshire is facing increasing financial pressures that are outside its control including inflation and the national pay award. At the same time, there’s been an increase in demand for services, particularly for children and older people. It is essential therefore that the Council conducted a review to ensure that it can provide a sustainable adult social care service for the people of Derbyshire.
- There is a declining need for standard residential care, but an increase in the number of older people living with dementia.
We can see from this analysis that modelling suggests fewer people are choosing, and will choose, to live in residential care in the future as they want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. As people are choosing to stay at home for as long as possible, when people are entering care homes, it is recognised and accepted that they have more acute needs, therefore we are seeing a growth in demand for nursing care and residential care for people with complex needs, including dementia, and this is specifically identified as a requirement in the Market Position Statement.
- The Council has a responsibility to ensure a sustainable private sector market in residential care, but does not have a duty to directly provide it.
These services are and can be provided by private and voluntary sector organisations and Derbyshire is currently well served by private providers of residential care. The Council is responsible for influencing and driving the pace of change for the whole market, leading to a sustainable and diverse range of care and support, continuously improving quality and choice, and delivering better, innovative and cost-effective outcomes that promote the wellbeing of people who need care and support.
The report recommended that the Council should sell the eight homes to the private sector. Residents who do not wish to stay at the homes under new management would be supported to find alternative accommodation under the Council’s Pledges to Residents. The report argued that there is adequate vacancy within the private and voluntary sector to ensure places would be available.
It also recommended that the Council cease to directly provide day care at the following five centres:
- Blackwell Day Centre, which is not currently operational.
- Fabrick Day Services, which is only operational two days a week due to low demand.
- Jubilee Centre.
- Queen's Court.
- Valley View Day Centre, which is not currently operational.
The report recommended that the Council retain the Ecclesfold Day Centre, Shirevale Resource Centre and Hasland Resource Centre to provide non-integrated day services, arguing that these would provide sufficient capacity to support people currently using day services elsewhere.
It recommended that Bennerley Fields cease to provide long-term care and be repurposed to exclusively provide community support beds. These beds would be jointly funded by the Council and Derbyshire Community Health Services. The report argued that this would facilitate improved integration between health and social care and improve “flow” through hospitals.
The report included an analysis of the feedback from the public consultation that had been conducted. This analysis acknowledged that many respondents were concerned about:
- The impact on residents’ wellbeing.
The feedback received, which has been reviewed and analysed in detail, has been collated into key themes as set out at appendix 3. The main concerns expressed were around the impact on people who may need to move home or who may not be able to attend their day centre, the availability of alternative provision both in terms of quality and quantity and the importance of the availability of respite breaks to support people and their carers in the community.
- The availability of high quality care in the private sector, and the affordability of private care.
Closure of any of the homes results in an unsustainable and uncontrollable reliance on the private sector, which as is shown by Staffordshire and Notts/Nottinghamshire, substantially increased costs and exposure to neglect for the service users.
- The quality of care provided by Council staff.
My personal experience from visiting a relative regarding a council run home is that they are run to an exceptional standard and quality of care by all the staff involved and not for profit.
The report included a commitment to minimising the impact of the changes on residents by providing a high level of person-centred support as set out in the Council’s Pledges to Existing Attendees.
The report also recommended that the Council undertake a further public consultation on the future of the seven remaining homes: Ada Belfield, Florence Shipley, Meadow View, Oaklands Community Care Centre, the Staveley Centre, Thomas Fields and Whitestones. This consultation would consider whether to close any of these homes, and whether to repurpose the buildings to exclusively provide long-term care for people with dementia, or community support beds.
Call in of decision to end discretionary grants
This meeting also considered a call-in of the decision made by Cabinet on 14 November 2024 to end discretionary grant funding. The call-in was made by Councillors Dixon, Allen, Burfoot, Frances-Hayes and Mihaly, arguing that the decision breached several articles of the Council’s constitution.
The call-in notice stated that:
- The report considered by Cabinet was compiled at pace in line with the council’s budget making process, and did not take into account the full impact on services or identify possible mitigating factors.
- The lack of detail in the report meant that Cabinet was unable to make an informed decision, and therefore may have taken into account irrelevant information when making its decision.
- The report proposed the cessation of several grants, without knowing the impact of such a change, and included grants that had previously been cited as possible mitigation measures for other cuts.
- The wording of the report suggested that Cabinet had decided to end all grants before the consultation had even taken place, and that the consultation was not genuine.
The full report considered by Cabinet was also included in the report pack. This report acknowledged that the Council has a duty under Section 2 of the Care Act 2014 to take steps to prevent and delay needs for care and support.
It also acknowledged that some of the organisations in receipt of grants may have been relied upon as mitigations for other cuts, like those to day care and residential care.
The Council, like all local authorities up and down the country, is facing significant financial challenges that are outside of its control. These include inflationary pressures; reduced funding from Central Government; high borrowing costs; lack of a financial multi-year settlement which affects planning, and continuing increasing demand on our services, particularly in Adult Care and Children’s Services.
The report provided a summary of each of the grants under consideration, with an indication of the likely impact of ending them:
- VCS Infrastructure Grants: The report acknowledged that the 13 organisations receiving these grants play a vital role in supporting other VCS organisations and facilitating volunteering. However, it also noted that these organisations have reserves, receive funding from other sources, and can access support online.
All infrastructure organisations appear to have adequate levels of reserves to avoid immediate closure, but these organisations are independent from the Council and should have their own reserves policies which will be monitored and agreed by their trustees.
- BME Consultation and Community Support: The report acknowledged that the BME Forum, facilitated by Links CVS, plays a vital role in enabling the Council to engage with BME residents. However, it noted that this is just one way in which the council undertakes engagement.
The Council risks becoming disconnected from these BME communities, leading to policies and services that did not reflect their cultural needs and concerns. There would be a significant loss of cultural competence within the Council and reduced engagement levels would impact the diversity of voices in public consultations, community initiatives, and local governance.
- Specialist Advice Services: The report acknowledged that Derbyshire Law Centre and Citizens Advice Mid Mercia play a vital role in providing free legal advice and representation to residents, and that many of the cases they handle relate to protected characteristic groups. However, the report also noted that both organisations receive funding from a variety of sources and there are a number of alternative sources of support available for residents.
Where appropriate, Derbyshire residents could continue to access Council commissioned services including the Welfare Rights service and Low Level Support service which offer a mixture of practical support, signposting and advocacy support.
- Befriending Services: The report acknowledged that the eleven organisations receiving these grants help to reduce social isolation. However, the report also noted that not all residents who use these services are isolated and there are a number of other telephone befriending services available, like the Silver Line.
Providers have reported that not all residents who access befriending live alone and some do have alternative social networks. There are other telephone befriending services such as the Silver Line which is a national free befriending telephone helpline. There are also a range of community groups that support people with social isolation.
- Social Activities and Luncheon Clubs: The report acknowledged that the seven organisations receiving these grants provide valuable social activity support and the 54 Luncheon Clubs provide an opportunity for members to meet and socialise. However, the report also noted that there are other social activities, befriending schemes and luncheon clubs available across Derbyshire that are not funded by the Council.
Many luncheon clubs indicated during the consultation they would look to continue their offer by increasing charges to their members. Community car schemes indicated they may also increase their charges to help cover additional costs, but with no indication of what those increases would be.
- Bolsover Woodlands Enterprise: The report acknowledged that this service provides support to people with learning disabilities, and that there is concern about the impact of the withdrawal of funding on attendees, their families, carers and the wider community. However, it also noted that BWE intend to introduce charging to cover the lost grant funding, and that some attendees would be able to access a personal budget to help cover this cost.
People spoke about the positive impact BWE has on the people with a learning disability who access the service and everyone’s contribution to the local community and Derbyshire residents, derived from the work they complete. People also told officers about the wider potential financial impact which could result in increased costs to DCC and other organisations.
- Our Vision, Our Future: The report acknowledged that this service provides unique support to people with learning disabilities, and that there is concern about the impact on the wellbeing of attendees, their families and carers. However, it also noted that OVOF intend to increase charging to cover the lost grant funding, and that some attendees would be able to access a personal budget to help cover this cost.
The listening event and survey responses illustrated the importance of this service to the people who access the service and their supporters, including their frustration and anxieties around the proposal to withdraw OVOF’s grant funding and the potential for the service to close if approved. In common with BWE, OVOF is considered to provide a specialist service which cannot be found elsewhere in Derbyshire.
The report recommended that the Council cease all discretionary grant funding from 31 March 2025. It included details on the Council’s consultation process and a summary of the feedback from respondents, noting that many respondents disagreed with the proposals.
It suggested several possible mitigating actions that could be taken to reduce the impact of ending the grants:
- Commissioning future activities when the impact is better understood.
- Signposting affected organisations to other funding opportunities.
- Supporting people to access existing in-house and commissioned services provided by the Council and its partners.
The report stated that two funds of £25,000 would be retained in the CST budget to support strategy and partnership working, and to promote equality.
Attendees










Topics
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Meeting Documents
Reports Pack
Additional Documents