Changes to our day centres

 

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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.

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.