Councillors have agreed recommendations to close six of our day care services for people with learning disabilities and older people.
Learning Disability Services at Lyric in Okehampton, Newholme in Honiton, Rosalind House in Tiverton, Silverhill in Barnstaple and Tumbly Hill in Kingsbridge, as well as the older people day services at Tumbly Hill, had all been proposed for closure.
Cabinet supported plans to withdraw from the direct provision of the in-house day services at these centres which are currently not attended by anyone, except for Rosalind House, which has one person.
A public consultation on the future of these adult day services was held from November 2023 through to January this year.
We received 21 written responses to its public consultation and 17 people attended a series of engagement events which were hosted by Living Options on our behalf. The report to Cabinet states that “there was no strong consensus towards any of the options described in the consultation document.”
We currently commission 81 independent sector providers to deliver day services in Devon, with around 480 people receiving a day service in the county, through commissioned and in-house services.
The number of eligible people accessing our in-house learning disability day services has reduced from 116 in 2015 to 12 today.
A needs assessment suggests that current and projected future demand from people eligible for these services should be able to be adequately met by the independent and voluntary sector.
Councillor James McInnes, Cabinet Member with responsibility for adult social care, said:
“The County Council has a statutory duty to support anyone who is eligible for need. This isn’t about withdrawing support for those who need it – this is about how we give them that support.
“Over a period of years before the pandemic fewer and fewer people actually chose the option of attending a day centre. It’s dwindled to a point now where we only have one person attending the centres and services identified here.
“The way things have moved forward in terms of people having direct payments to support their loved one or family member in the community has naturally happened. The voluntary community sector is very professional in what they do and that’s the way it’s going.
“People are not choosing Devon County Council’s day centres. They want something nearer their homes in terms of being nearer people they know or doing activities they find more fulfilling.”
The report before Cabinet also highlighted that our position toward in-house day service provision remains as previously agreed by Cabinet in 2014 – “that the organisation will continue to cease to be a provider of day services for older people and adults with a learning disability except in areas of insufficient alternative supply and where there are no providers expressing an interest in expanding local provision.”
It added that we will continue to comply with our obligation to meet a person’s eligible needs, following a Care Act assessment and support plan and that we will continue to work with the independent and voluntary sector to encourage the continued development of suitable alternatives.
Cabinet decisions are subject to potential call-in by councillors for further scrutiny. Councillors have five working days to call-in decisions where they feel further scrutiny is needed.