Changes to our day centres
Results updated 20 Jul 2017
A decision on day services was taken by the Leader on 21 June and the details of the decision are published. The decision was ‘called in’, which means that it was looked at again by the Council’s Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee. This committee reconsidered the day centres decision at a special meeting on Tuesday 11 July.
Overview
As in other parts of the country, Camden’s population is changing. The number of older people living within the borough is increasing. Advances in medical care also mean that people are living longer, and people with disabilities are able to be supported at home for longer. While this, of course, is welcome news it means we have to think about how we provide our services. These challenges, coupled with new responsibilities due to changes in the law, means more people than ever require our support.
By 2018/19 government cuts mean that the Council’s like for like funding will have been more than halved compared to 2010 levels. Further cuts to government funding, alongside other social pressures – including an ageing population and continual increases in the cost of living – have left us with a further budget gap of £78 million which we need to fill by 2018/19.
As part of this, we need to make £16 million of adult social care savings. This means that we have to look at new ways of providing adult social care and make difficult decisions about what we provide.
What is this consultation about?
This consultation is about day centres*. Day centres provide a range of specialist activities for people who may have a learning disability and/or a long-term condition (such as dementia) which means that they need social care support.
People attending a day centre are given support to access a range of physical, educational and creative activities, which might take place at the day centre or somewhere else in the community.
In Camden, some centres are provided by charities, others by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, and some directly by the Council. This consultation is about day centres which the Council provides and about day centres which the Council pays the Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust to provide on our behalf.
Why your views matter
The changes that we are proposing to day centres are part of our wider plans to change how we support people with social care needs in the community. We want to improve how we deliver care and support and widen access to employment, education and leisure opportunities for people with additional care and support needs.
Fewer people are using our day centres and many of our centres offer similar activities and services, which doesn’t represent a good use of Council money.
What are the proposed changes to day centres?
We are proposing to reduce the number of buildings we provide these activities from. Day services would not be reduced overall but for some people, their current service would be provided in different building.
We are proposing to develop two specialist services in the borough - one for older people at the Kingsgate Resource Centre in Kilburn and one for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs at the new Greenwood Centre, in Kentish Town, when it opens in 2018.
The consultation will run from 16 January until 9 April 2017 and you will be able to give us your views during this time. What people tell us during this consultation will be reported to Camden Council’s Cabinet Member for Young People, Adults and Health and the Executive Director for Supporting People, to help them make their decision. The decision will also be scrutinised by the Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee. A final decision will be taken this summer.
During the same time period, we are also consulting on changes to the contributions people make to the cost of their care. To have your say about this consultation, please visit camden.gov.uk/ascchanges.
*Day centres may also be referred to as resource centres (such as The Charlie Ratchford and Kingsgate Resource Centres). For the purposes of this document, we will use the term ‘day centres’ to mean both day centres and resource centres.
Areas
- All Areas
Audiences
- Carers
- Community and voluntary groups
- Disabled people
- Health service users
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups
- Local groups and organisations
- Older people
- Service users
Interests
- Social care and health
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