Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services provided an overview of the outcome of the consultation in order for Cabinet to make a final decision on the future provision of day care services previously provided at the Melrose Centre.

The agreed budget for the Council for 2015/16 included the need to rationalise day care for older people reducing to a smaller number of sites and to target specialist provision. 

Day services for older people were currently provided five days a week in four main centres: The Melrose Centre, Marleyfield House Day Centre, Croes Atti Day Centre and The Old Brewery.  Over the past 12 months occupancy levels for in house day care had dropped and given that the Melrose Centre supported mostly generic day care and that the building was in need of significant capital funding, it was timely to review service provision including the location.

Formal consultation began with two consultation events on 3 and 4 February, both of which were well attended.  In addition to the group consultations, face to face consultations also took place and a number of letters and emails had been received from service users and families.  The four options considered were outlined in the report.

The strong conclusion from the consultation was that Option 2 was the only feasible option to take forward.  Although Option 1 was clearly popular, it was not possible to take that forward due to capital and revenue funding constrains. 

The Chief Officer (Social Services) expressed his thanks to the staff and residents at The Melrose Centre over the last 25 years adding that the new model provision would provide a new direction for an excellent service.  The proposals had been considered in depth at the recent Social and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee where Option 2 was fully supported.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the recommended Option 2, the transfer of the service to a new organisation, for the future provision of day care services previously provided by The Melrose Centre, be approved; and

(b)       That it be approved that where it is the people’s choice, that Option 3, the transfer of day care to another Local Authority day centre, be made available to day care service users.