Issue - meetings

Following the announcement by the City Mayor of a forthcoming proposal, following statutory consultation, to close Martin House Day Centre and Visamo Day Centre that provided services for older people with mental health issues, a statutory call-in by members was made and it was agreed that the issue be brought to this Scrutiny Commission.

The Scrutiny Commission received a report that set out information relating to the consultation process and the key findings were detailed within the report. The recommendation within the report was to close both services as the quality of service had been adversely affected by the low numbers using the service and therefore they were no longer financially viable.

A number of options were set out in the report and these are set out below: -

Option 1.Do nothing.  This is not an option because the service is no longer adequate for service users and is financially unviable.

Options 2.Expand the services offered by actively marketing and attracting people into the service.The service would need to be totally redesigned and change the way it operates in order to ensure the long term sustainability as evidence already shows that people are not choosing traditional day services and are instead opting for community based services that offer greater innovation and flexibility, including evening and weekend provision.

Option 3. Combine the two services to run from one building.  This is not a viable option as based on current evidence, the combined service would still be relatively small and would therefore be unaffordable when applying true costs of the service which currently stand at £111 per person per day, compared to an average of £28 per person per day in the voluntary sector.

Option 4. Develop the services into an Enablement /outreach service. Whilst this fits in with current model around the future of in-house provision, the proposal is premature as the redesign of in-house day care is in the early stages. Substantial change of this nature would mean current job descriptions and salary scales would have to be consulted on and revised and the opportunity to be part of the new service offered to a wider group of staff.

Option 5. Close the service and move existing service users to alternative provision.  This would ensure the provision of suitable stimulating services for individuals and deliver a cost effective solution.

·         In order to ensure the most sensitive and appropriate method of transition both service users and staff at the current OPMH service, the Council will:

·         Carry out an assessment of each individual during August and September 2013. This will be done with the full involvement of family carers and with the offer of advocacy support. The assessments will be carried out and followed through by a dedicated team of care managers who will then support individuals and their families to find appropriate services that meet their needs.

·         There are currently 152 vacancies within this type of provision in the voluntary sector and a number of other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33