Eight Derbyshire care home and five day centre closures confirmed

Eight care homes and five day centres for the elderly are to be closed as part of a raft of cutbacks and money-saving changes in four key areas, which also include cuts to learning disability services, community group funding, and tighter criteria for home support eligibility.

Th council also approved closing four opportunity centres, four short break residential units for adults with learning disabilities and to withdraw discretionary grant funding for 50 voluntary and community groups, and to introduce tighter eligibility criteria for its Derbyshire Healthy Homes Project service.

Prior to the meeting, a Derbyshire Conservatives group spokesman said: “The way Derbyshire County Council provides many of its services requires modernisation to reflect the needs of local people and provide value for council taxpayers.

“Poor Government settlements, inflation, along with soaring post-Covid demand for social care, particularly in older people’s care at home, a growth in working age adults requiring social care, as well as in children’s social care provision and special educational deeds and disabilities have left councils throughout the country needing to reassess almost everything they do."

Originally, 11 care homes were earmarked for possible closure. Those facing the axe are Briar Close, Borrowash; Castle Court, Swadlincote; The Grange, Eckington; Lacemaker Court, Long Eaton; The Leys, Ashbourne; New Bassett House, Shirebrook; Rowthorne, Swanwick and Thomas Colledge, Bolsover. Bennerley will no longer operate as a residential care home and will be repurposed to be used exclusively for community support beds for short-term reablement and assessment.

The council has also stated it is proposing further public consultations on proposed changes to its remaining residential care homes in a move towards "a single operating model of care" with four homes operating as specialist dementia care homes including Florence Shipley, Whitestones, Matlock’s Meadow View, and Swadlincotes’ Oaklands, with all except Whitestones having an integrated day centre.

Another option under consideration is for two homes to operate as specialist dementia care homes including Florence Shipley and Whitestones with Meadow View and Oaklands adopting a mixed care model.

The council has also agreed to close five day centres for the elderly including Blackwell Day Centre, Blackwell; Fabrick Day Services, Hilton; Jubilee Centre, New Mills; Queens Court, Buxton and Valley View Day Centre, Bolsover.

The council claims the changes support the council’s intention to create a sustainable service focusing on specialist services for people with dementia and their carers, offering long-term residential care and flexible day and overnight breaks to support carers.

It also claims the changes will allow for greater integration with health partners to provide short-term support and assessment services to help timely discharges from hospital, prevent unplanned hospital admissions and reduce the risk of readmission helping people stay at home.

UNISON campaigners had called for the council to abandon adult social care saving plans and Derbyshire Labour MPs also met with council Leader, Councillor Barry Lewis, to express their concerns and opposition to the plans to close care homes and elderly day centres.

During considerations, the council also rejected a heated call from opposition Labour Group councillors, including Labour Group Leader Councillor Joan Dixon, to further investigate subsequent long-term care costs before deciding on the proposed closures.

The council, which is addressing saving proposals to manage a budget deficit of over £39m for the 2024/25 financial year, is blaming reduced Government funding, the impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation rates, higher prices for fuel, energy and materials, rising costs, meeting the cost of the national pay award and the growing demand for adults’ and children’s social care services.

The council’s Cabinet also agreed to discontinue its day opportunity centres at No Limits in Chesterfield, Parkwood Centre in Alfreton, Alderbrook Centre in Chinley, and Outlook in Long Eaton, for those with learning disabilities or autism.

Use of short break residential units at Brimington, Long Eaton, Glossop and Swadlincote, as well as Hadfield Road in Glossop, which has not been open since 2020 due to building suitability and demand.

As part of its short break service redesign the cabinet has agreed to retain Morewood Centre, at Alfreton, for planned short breaks only.

Stopping the adult social care grants will affect 30 community and voluntary groups which currently receive annual grants totalling just over £722,000 to support work including advocacy, training, befriending and social activities.

The council has been providing discretionary grant funding to eleven voluntary sector organisations for befriending support and it has been providing a discretionary grant to seven voluntary sector organisations to support social inclusion activity. Some of these organisations include Mencap, Borrowbrook Homelink, Age UK, The African Caribbean Community Association and well-being charity The Bureau.