Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care introduced the report. He commented that a formal consultation exercise had been carried out with users of the service on the proposal to close Wyre Forest Connect Long-term Learning Disability Day Service.  The service had only 5 users who attended 8 out of a possible 35 available days which showed how little the service was used. No responses had been received from any of the key stakeholders or the public with regard to the Personnel Care Suite. Service users had indicated that they were content with the alternative service provision offered to them.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

·         A thorough engagement and consultation process had taken place on the future use of this service including a pre-consultation engagement exercise with all service users. The service was funded by £603k Public Health Ring-fenced Grant which given the number of service users, did not represent value for money especially as alternative provision was available in the community. The equality impact of the change had been fully assessed

·         A local member from outside the Cabinet commented that users of the service had expressed their satisfaction with the alternative facilities offered within Kidderminster and local councillors had not received any complaints about the proposed closures.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

a)    noted the feedback from formal consultation with individuals using services and carers on the proposal to close the Wyre Forest Connect Long-term Learning Disability Day Service;

b)    noted the feedback from engagement with stakeholders regarding other services located at Wyre Forest Connect (Blackwell Street, Kidderminster), namely the Wyre Forest Connect front desk service, the Wyre Forest Connect drop-in service and the Personal Care Suite;

c)    noted the work carried out on options to remodel the Connect Short-term Service for adults with lower and medium levels of need, specifically the option of aligning the service with the Three Conversation Model social work teams;

d)    noted the detailed Equality Impact Assessment completed on the proposals previously approved by Cabinet on 14 June 2018 in relation to Council-provided Day Services for Adults with a Learning Disability and the Connect Short-term Service;

e)    approved the closure of Wyre Forest Connect Long-term Learning Disability Day Service, Wyre Forest Connect front desk service, the Wyre Forest Connect drop-in service and the Personal Care Suite, with effect from 1 April 2019;

f)     endorsed the continuation of the Connect Short-term Service and relocation of the service into the Three Conversation Model social work teams with effect from 1 April 2019, on the basis set out in paragraphs 18-22 of the report, with the detail of implementation and how the service will operate in the future to be decided by the Director of Adult Services and the Director of Public Health; 

g)    noted ongoing work in relation to the Council's other Learning Disability Day Services (Resource Centres, Connect Long-term Services and Leisure Link) to develop strategies for cost reduction and income generation in order to reduce the gap between the cost of the in-house services and the external sector and deliver planned savings; and  

h)    authorised the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Adult Social Care to commence any formal consultation in relation to the services in (g) above, to the extent that any proposed changes are required to achieve the ongoing financial sustainability of the services.