Date published: 2024-01-26 | Category: Adult Social Care and Health
Plans to provide a new residential school for young people with complex needs, following a review of three Bath & North East Somerset Council-run community resource centres, are being set out before councillors.
The plans form part of a package of recommendations to improve residential and dementia care and to develop a new special school for children and young people with complex needs. The recommendations follow a recent consultation with residents, families, staff and the wider community.
The report, which covers Cleeve Court in Bath, Combe Lea in Midsomer Norton and Charlton House in Keynsham - will go before councillors at the Children and Adults and Health and Wellbeing Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel on February 5 before going to the cabinet for a decision on February 8.
Charlton House, which is currently registered to provide 30 adult nursing care beds over two separate floors currently has 10 residents, following the Council’s decision to temporarily close one floor, Combe Lea provides 30 registered care beds and Cleeve Court provides 45 registered care beds.
The panel will hear that the cabinet is being asked to agree five recommendations to:
- Develop Cleeve Court, in Bath, into a centre of excellence for dementia care without nursing.
- Enhance the offer at Combe Lea residential home, in Midsomer Norton, to enable younger people with more complex needs to remain closer to home.
- De-register ten places at Charlton House nursing home, in Keynsham, and develop the site to provide a residential school for young people with complex needs.
- Offer community groups/charitable organisations use of the day centre spaces at Coombe Leigh and Cleeve Court at a reduced rental rate.
- Start a full feasibility study in relation to the change of use for Charlton House to a residential school.
Councillor Alison Born, cabinet member for Adult Services, said: “I would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation – we have listened to all comments and concerns and I want to reassure residents and families particularly at Charlton House, that if these changes go ahead, we will continue to work with them to ensure the move to their new home is fully supported. At the heart of both the review and these proposals is our aim to improve services for the most vulnerable and ensure we are focusing on areas of highest and most complex need.”
In October 2022 Charlton House received a rating of inadequate from CQC which has been revised to requires improvement, following significant changes to the operational running of the home, including the closure of 15 beds in December 2022.
The report says the cost of delivering nursing care is significantly higher for the council compared to the independent market and there is sufficient capacity in the residential and nursing home market coupled with the commissioning plans for further nursing care.
Under the proposals Charlton House would close on 31st March. The building would, following works, become a new residential special school with 16-places for children aged from 11-16, with an attached children’s home catering for eight places in two four-bed units.
Extra Care schemes and sheltered housing provision currently provided at Community Resource Centre sites in partnership with housing providers would not be affected by these proposals.
The report says the council was successful in securing £4million through the Government led Safety Valve Project and this would allow the council to provide local places for the highest need children and young people that are currently placed residentially out of the area. An additional £1m is also being allocated through the High Needs Grant allocation.
Councillor Paul May, cabinet member for Children’s Services, added: “We are committed to increasing the number of places for children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan within the local area – and this proposal would mean families could stay local and it would address expensive out-of-area provision which puts a huge strain on council finances.”
The report also recommends developing the service at Cleeve Court to support people with complex dementia who can be supported in a residential setting, including those with early onset dementia and to not seek nursing registration from CQC. As a specialist dementia home, Cleeve Court would be able to accommodate more complex dementia needs that a non-specialist facility which would reduce the need for transfers to nursing care.
It also suggests enhancing the offer at Combe Lea residential home to enable younger adults with more complex needs to remain closer to home. Concerns were expressed through the consultation, regarding younger and older people living together. However, there is significant research that demonstrates intergenerational activities can provide a range of benefits for both older adults in care homes and younger generations. By bringing together different age groups, this can combat loneliness, improve physical and cognitive health, and increase empathy and understanding.
Councillors will also be asked to approve a plan to offer community groups and charitable organisations use of the day centre spaces at the community resource centres at a reduced rental rate which would reinstates the original purpose of the CRCs where pre-Covid all the community space was used by a wide of voluntary and community groups.
Read the full report before scrutiny here and to watch both the scrutiny meeting on February 5 and cabinet on February 8 go to our Youtube channel
ENDS
Notes to editors
The council received 45 submissions on the CRC proposals. More than half (53%) of responses were positive towards council proposals for CRCs, nearly a third (31%) disagreed and 16% were unsure. The consultation report can be found here.
Links to the Care Quality Commissioner (CQC) inspection reports for each of the CRC’s are provided below:
Charlton House - https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-9633487397
Combe Lea - https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-9633487460
Cleeve Court - https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-9633487324