Cash-strapped Derbyshire council gives the go ahead for a raft of care cutbacks

Derbyshire council’s Cabinet has agreed to introduce a raft of cutbacks and money-saving changes in four key areas involving care home closures, cuts to learning disability services, community group funding, and tighter criteria for home support eligibility.

The Conservative-led council agreed at a Cabinet meeting on November 14 to approve the redesign of elderly care services with the closure of eight care homes and five day centres for the elderly under refreshed proposals. This came after studying the public reaction from more than 1,700 respondents in a consultation.

Following further consultations, the Cabinet also approved discontinuing four Day Opportunity Centres and four Short Break Residential Units for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism, 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 spokesperson 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 Needs and Disabilities have left councils throughout the country needing to reassess almost everything they do.”

In original plans the council had earmarked 11 care homes for possible closure including: Briar Close, Borrowash; Bennerley Fields, Ilkeston; Castle Court, Swadlincote; Florence Shipley, Heanor; The Grange, Eckington; Lacemaker Court, Long Eaton; The Leys, Ashbourne; New Bassett House, Shirebrook; Rowthorne, Swanwick; Thomas Colledge House, Bolsover; And Whitestones, at Chapel-en-le-Frith.

But the council has now agreed to cease to operate and offer for sale eight care homes: Briar Close, Castle Court, The Grange, Lacemaker Court, The Leys, New Bassett House, Rowthorne, Thomas Colledge.    

And Bennerley will no longer operate as a residential care home, but 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 – 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: Blackwell Day Centre, Blackwell; Fabrick Day Services, Hilton; Jubilee Centre, New Mills; Queens Court, Buxton; and Valley View Day Centre, Bolsover.   

It has also agreed that three day centres originally considered for closure will remain open: Eccles Fold, at Chapel en-le-Frith; Hasland Resource Centre, in Chesterfield; and Shirevale, in Shirebrook.   

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, Cllr 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 call from opposition Labour Group councillors, including Labour Group Leader Cllr Joan Dixon, to further investigate subsequent long-term care costs before deciding on the proposed closures.  

Cllr Dixon has said the impact of the cuts will be ‘devastating’ and she claims the Conservative-led council’s financial management is to blame for the situation.  

However, 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 has 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.    

It has stated that discontinuing these Day Opportunity Centres reflects the success of its Community Connectors service with continued support for people to access other day opportunities and its Shared Lives carers support by providing more opportunities and by helping more people to access Direct Payments.   

Cabinet also agreed to discontinue the use of its Short Break Residential Units for those with learning disabilities or autism at Victoria Street in Brimington, Petersham Centre in Long Eaton, and Newhall Bungalow in 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.   

A council report has argued the council’s future planning for people with learning disabilities and or autism is being transformed to increase independence and that this aims to provide opportunities to meet social care needs while connecting more people to their communities and helping them to gain skills.   

It has also stressed that it has contracts with private providers offering a range of opportunities for support including for people with more complex needs.   

The council claims that subsequent demand for traditional building-based day services has declined and that many young people are opting for different opportunities.   

Cabinet also approved the end of two types of handout by March 2025, next year, including Adult Social Care Discretionary Grant Funding and Corporate Services and Transformation Discretionary Grant Funding amounting to over £1m of funding cuts for community and voluntary groups.   

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.    

The council has also supported luncheon clubs and the Bolsover Woodlands Enterprise, self-advocacy organisation Our Vision, and Our Future for people with learning disabilities, and it has funded ten voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations.    

In addition, ceasing the Corporate Services and Transformation Grants means a further 20 groups that receive just over £333,000 will be affected.   

These include voluntary and community groups where funding supports the black, minority and ethnic sector, and has helped with training and guidance and specialist advice for groups including Derbyshire Law Centre and Citizens Advice Mid Mercia.    

Derbyshire County Council has stated that out of the total 50 organisations, seven will be affected by both changes under Adult Social Care, and Corporate Services and Transformation.    

The council has stressed that it has previously chosen to fund voluntary organisations with annual grants for up to 20 years but it claims it has experienced growing financial pressures beyond its control and it has had to prioritise statutory expenditure over discretionary funding.

Cabinet also approved the remodelling of the Derbyshire Healthy Homes Project service by introducing new eligibility criteria which it claims would make sure the service prioritises support for people with social care needs and those on low incomes.

Derbyshire Healthy Homes Project was set up to help people with eligible social care needs who have long-term health conditions made worse by the cold so they can stay well and warm at home.   

It features installing heating and energy efficiency measures, providing personal items to help people keep warm and accessing national funding through ECO 4 Flex Grants as well as home clearance and cleaning services.   

The project supports all health and social care partners by preventing unplanned hospital admissions, supporting timely hospital discharges, reducing the risk of readmissions and ensuring a safe working environment for professional carers to deliver care and support.   

But a council report claims the project has developed beyond its original scope and the council has no legal duty to provide the service and it currently supports people who are not eligible for statutory adult social care support.   

It adds that the authority must consider during its current financial position whether it can continue to fund services it is not legally obliged to while ensuring it meets its statutory responsibilities to provide services it has to by law.   

The newly approved model will mean those eligible to apply for the service must be over 18 and have adult social care needs and there will be a new focus on providing information and help directing people to other agencies with applications for ECO 4 Flex Grants.   

District and borough councils, according to the county council, will now be expected to address certain home environments in line with their statutory duties under the Housing Act 2004.   

Derbyshire County Council had been considering a number of options for the project including working more with district and borough councils, potentially decommissioning the service and passing it to a third party.