‘There’s no respect for older people’: Future of adult day centres in Newbury, Hungerford and Calcot still uncertain
The future remains uncertain for three adult resource centres in West Berkshire.
West Berkshire Council has proposed to outsource three of its adult day centres for elderly, disabled and vulnerable people to gain £469,000 in annual budget savings.
But the proposal has caused panic among service users and their carers about how costs, support criteria and transport services might vary under external providers – and whether the centres will close entirely.
Executive director for adult social care Paul Coe visited Hungerford Resource Centre, Phoenix Resource Centre in Newbury and Greenfield House in Calcot on Friday to reassure those who depend on these facilities.
At the Newbury centre, he said: “A decision to close this centre has not been made.
“You will absolutely not get a call on Monday after February 27 [when the council’s budget for 2025/26 is due for approval] to say, ‘we're shut.’
“The executive group have agreed, in principle, the council should no longer deliver care in the resource centres.
“Legally, there are some things my department must do, and there are some things we don't have to do but which we currently do, and running resource centres is one of those things. But we should only do it when we're good at it.”
But those in the audience seemed unconvinced. Some called the meeting pointless, while others said they felt they had been here before.
One carer said: “My daughter has very special relationship with the staff and other service users here, and that takes a very long time to build up.
“We've been in a situation before where services have been cut. Her behaviour then becomes unbearable, and she needs a psychologist and other things, which costs you an awful lot more money.”
Mr Coe continued: “It wasn’t until quite recently we realised how big the gap was between our costs of running a service inside and buying it from outside.
“Other services of a similar type cost half of what it costs for us to do it here.
“We are talking to external providers about their capacity and interest in running services or delivering services somewhere else.”
He added he has no concerns about the quality of external providers, but that the council should future-proof the sites as day centres in writing with any provider.
READ MORE: Social care costs keep pinching West Berkshire Council budgets
Jane Shadwell, from Woolton Hill, pays around £500 a month to the centre for her husband, who has Alzheimer’s.
She told newburytoday he has struggled to join similar groups due to his condition.
“It’s helped him enormously,” she said. “They do the most amazing things here and they accept him for who he is.
“He comes out of here smiling. That is so special.”
And speaking about what losing the centre could mean, she added: “It would be an awful lot more stress for both of us.
“If it wasn’t for this, I’d have to start thinking of other things, which may cost the council more.”
Andy Bayliss, from Thatcham, attended the meeting to support his mother, who has used the centre for the past two years.
“It’s all she does,” he said. “She used to do an art class on a Wednesday, which has shut. And she goes to Sainsbury’s on a Thursday. That’s her life.
“Without meeting people here, she’d just be sat at home alone until we catch up on a Sunday.”
And he said he was not reassured by the meeting, adding: “There’s no respect for older people.
“Sending Paul Coe, while I thanked him for putting himself in the firing line, he’s not a decision maker.
“If they’re going to take the subject seriously, they need someone who’s a decision maker to come and listen to the community and maybe do something about it.”
Newburytoday asked Mr Coe what transition period users could expect if the proposal go ahead.
He replied: “My strong urge would be to make sure there’s a transitional phase where someone else comes in before we step away.
“I think we wouldn’t be able to alternatively meet other people’s needs with a gap.”
And how long could it take for any changes to happen?
He added: “If it’s somebody else coming in and running the businesses for us, my guess would be six to 12 months. Something that’s quicker is if other providers say, ‘we’ve got space, we’ve got staff, send them our way’.
“I don’t know whether the building inherently can be run efficiently, and I think that’s something that external providers will tell us.
“The message I want to get out there is that if providers in the district have any interest in our three sites, come and talk to us.”
Further updates on the centres are expected at the council’s budget meeting on Thursday, February 27.
In 2011, newburytoday reported on the closure of five day centres across the district.
The aging population was blamed for the soaring cost of social care, which prompted the council to introduce personal budgets to allow those in need to pay for their own care.
Without local journalism, you would not have had a reporter at this event.
Consider supporting us at newburytoday.co.uk/subscribe using the code MirekGosney to get more than 50 per cent off an annual subscription — meaning it will cost you less than 53p each week.
