To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link under Part 4D, Paragraph 13:-
BCP Council Constitution - Part 4 - Procedure Rules
The deadline for the submission of public questions is midday, 3 clear working days before the meeting.
The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting.
The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.
Minutes:
The following statements and questions were received:
Statement from People First Forum:
You have signed up to our Bill of Rights.
This says we have:
- The right to say no
- The right to have our voices heard
Our members with learning disabilities
have spoken up about your proposals –
1) Keep 3 centres 2) lose all 8.
We did not know about proposal 2
People with profound and multiple
learning disabilities use the centres.
They are a very vulnerable group.
We think everyone should have their say
“Nothing about Us, Without Us.”
Our members are upset, fearful and
angry. They say you should not close the
centres.
People need centres that are:
- Accessible and give us enough
space to move freely
- Safe
- Have staff with specialist skills who
know us well
“It is terrible, shouldn’t shut them down.
They should stay open.”
“Where will I go to be with my friends?”
“Respect us, listen and keep our centre!”
Question from Jan Ryland:
Prior to Covid my daughter attended 3 different day services including Christchurch Connect. 2 of the day services both run by Livability have since closed permanently so now Christchurch Connect is her only service. Also after reading that the proposal said that community halls could be used I have briefly researched hiring public venues. I found that the availability was very limited. My problem is picturing what a future without Christchurch Connect would look like.
My question is can anyone outline what my daughter's day would look like regarding transport, venues, safety, activities and staff, is there a clear vision of an alternative?
The Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing provided the following answer:
We recognise the value of day service buildings and are therefore proposing that, following consultation feedback, Christchurch Connect remains open.
There is also recognition that the community-based day opportunities market requires development and investment to provide alternative options for people to access. We already have a small but thriving provision of community-based day opportunities which include smaller organisations who run services by paid staff and for some, provide their own transport to and from their service.
These services access community resources such as church halls, libraries, community centres and Council owned buildings and we intend to ensure that any capacity of remaining Tricuro Day Services allows rental of space for community groups.
We acknowledge that for some people a community-based option may not be an appropriate provision depending on their needs. Therefore, the day opportunities strategy promotes a mixed model of buildings-based services and the development of community-based day opportunities.
It is intended that this will lead to a greater range and choice for people to access services that meet their needs and wishes.
Statement from Neil Drury:
Our adult son Peter has Downs Syndrome and Autism. His care needs are challenging and complex and his vulnerability demands high levels of professional and expert care. Apart from providing a safe and secure environment, the staff and management of existing Day Centres understand Peter’s needs and the importance of continuity and consistency of care. This professionalism allows us to enjoy some essential respite safe in the knowledge that Peter is being well looked after and safeguarded.
We recognise the severe financial pressures on BCP and appreciate that professionally managed Day Centres cost more than other types of day opportunities. That said they are ‘tried and tested, and fit for purpose’, and it is important when comparing alternatives to compare ‘like for like’. I fear that the level of support and care presently provided by our Day Centres is unlikely to be present in many of the alternatives being considered.
Questions from Neil Drury:
Q1.
As my wife and I get older, we need the peace of mind and continuity the present building based provision affords. Many of the Strategy’s proposed day opportunity providers have ‘open door’ policies. This would be totally unsuitable for the safety of our son.
Independent/private sector providers use of community halls and such buildings, which, from previous experience, often lack reliable services, e.g. adequate heating, hot running water, cleanliness etc., fill my wife and I with anxiety for the health, safety, comfort and mental wellbeing of our son and other clients.
Most of the current clients accessing the building based day centres need continuity in their lives. Without continuity, their anxiety levels will cause distress for them and their carers. Has any consideration been given to the potential damage this will cause to these vulnerable individuals and carers already under extreme daily pressure, 365 days of the year?
The Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing provided the following answer:
We recognise the value of day service buildings and are therefore proposing that, following consultation feedback, Christchurch Connect, where we understand your son Peter attends, should remain open.
We acknowledge that for some people a community-based option may not be an appropriate provision depending on their needs.
Following the consultation and drop-in sessions we arranged in January 2024, we have incorporated the concerns of carers and those who access Tricuro day services in the papers provided for Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet. The potential closures of services have been subject to an Equalities Impact Assessment and as per the papers for these meetings have identified the following relevant risk factors:
For people with a Disability – Risk of change for those with dementia, some mental health conditions, learning disability and/or autism. This includes negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of a person, lack of continuity of care, loss of relationships with other people using the service and their staff team and establishing new relationships in an alternative service.
Risk of being unable to meet a person’s needs.
Change and/or increase in travel may be a barrier for those with complex disabilities and/or conditions.
Change could disproportionately negatively impact those who are socially isolated and/or have neurodiverse conditions, such as autism.
For Carers – Risk that being unable to meet a cared for person’s needs may negatively impact the ability for carers to fulfil their role.
Risk of loss of relationships and support networks for carers.
Risk of increase in carer strain.
The recommended proposal for the future of Tricuro Day Services is therefore:
Connect services to remain open and incorporate Highcliffe, Wallisdown and Westbourne Plus services already based there. In addition, Poole Plus to be relocated to Parkstone Connect and Moordown Plus service to remain open. Highcliffe, Wallisdown, Westbourne, and Poole Plus original sites to be closed.
We hope this reassures you that we have listened to people’s concerns and provided an option that continues to meet the needs of people who access Tricuro Day Services and their carers.
Q2.
During the previous O & S Council meeting, Councillor Salmon asked an Officer to explain why there was such a difference between the cost of day opportunity provision by individual community workers, community groups and independently runt private companies, offering day opportunities and the existing Tricuro Connect day centres? This question was not answered during the meeting. My suspicion being that the independent and private sector operates on profit motives and operates with inexperienced and reduced staff levels, meaning corners will be cut along with staff pay and the quality of training, resulting in a service which is not fit for purpose. Can the Officer please answer Councillor Salmons question on this satisfactorily?
The Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing provided the following answer:
Following the consultation work and attendance at the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 15th January 2024, we subsequently met with the Day Opportunities co-production group on 24th January, which you kindly attended. Following feedback from this meeting, we met again as a group on 9th February (appreciating you did not attend this meeting) to confirm revisions to the strategy.
As a result, we added into the finalised strategy the following note regarding the cost of building based day services:
Building based Day Services are often more expensive due to a range of factors including managing the needs of a more complex group of people(including personal care and a range of health issues), staffing costs related to this, maintenance and running costs of a building potentially owned by the company and for Tricuro services, having previously employed council staff on different terms and conditions in regard to pay and pensions schemes.
We also added the following definition of community-based provision into the strategy as there was a need to define these services. This is as follows:
Community-based day opportunities are defined as smaller organisationsthat may or may not use a building in the community to run their services from but are not purpose-built day service buildings. These services tend to provide for a smaller number of people with less complex needs but have paid members of staff and assurances associated with a building-based day service e.g. insurance in place, training for staff, staff checks such as DBS, quality assurance measures, policies etc.
We have successfully commissioned these services for many years from existing providers who are primarily charitable and/or not for profit organisations. Our experience has been that the safety and outcomes for those accessing these services has been positive and the cost implications have been competitive.
The Day Opportunities strategy therefore proposes a mixed model of buildings-based services and the development of community-based day opportunities to meet the needs and wishes of people who access services and their carers now and in the future.
Statement from Mr and Mrs Hardcastle:
Closure of Day Centres will impose an enormous burden on the parents/guardians who care for the users, many will be unable to cope resulting in the users having to be housed by the local Authority at great expense to the public.
Using parks, cafes and local halls will not be suitable for many users. Autistics need routine, many users have an obsession with eating, using parks will be weather dependent and many local halls are heavily booked.
Will staff be able to cope with medical or behavioural problems in the wider community?
Some users are known to wander off, will they be safe in the community?
Users need to feel safe, will they if they are meeting in different places?