Agenda item

7.1.

AGENDA ITEM 10: REVIEW OF CARE4YOU RESOURCES CENTRES

7.1.1

The Executive Director, Communities, submitted a report on the joint review carried out by the Council and NHS Sheffield into the future of the Council’s two Care4you Resources Centres namely, Hazlehurst at Jordanthorpe and Sevenfields at Wisewood, which were jointly funded by the City Council and NHS Sheffield and provided 42 beds for the re-habilitation of people following a hospital stay. The review had identified a number of options which had included a preferred option to decommission the 42 beds in the current buildings and commission alternative care elsewhere based on current need and demand.

The options available had been the subject of a period of consultation between 6^th December 2011 and 29^th February, 2012, which included consideration of the options by the Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee, the findings of which were included in the Executive Director’s report and which supported the proposal to de-commission the two Resources Centres.

7.1.2

RESOLVED: That Cabinet (a) in fully considering the outcome of the consultations and the work of the Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee and acknowledging that both the Council and NHS Sheffield will secure appropriate alternative provision from the independent sector, approves action to proceed with the decommissioning of the two Resource Centres namely, Hazlehurst at Jordanthorpe and Sevenfields at Wisewood, and the proposals for the commissioning of alternative care by the end of June 2012 or a date as soon as practical after that date; and

(b) wishes to place on record the fact that it values the staff at the two Resource Centres and further, wishes to convey to staff at the Centres, its appreciation of the high level of expertise and commitment displayed by them during the course of their work.

7.1.3

Reasons for Recommendations

• The NHS requires nursed beds for intermediate care which the resource centres do not offer.

• The NHS professional view is that nursed beds are more appropriate for intermediate care where there are qualified nurses on site 24 hours a day.  Neither the resource centres nor the City Council can offer this service.

• The City Council buildings are no longer fit for purpose for those people needing intermediate care and are provided at a comparatively high cost.

• Older people, their families and carers have told NHS Sheffield and the City Council that they want to be supported at home or as close to home as possible.

• The City Council and NHS Sheffield have given a commitment to secure alternative services within improved facilities and which will deliver better value for money.

• The requirement for the City Council to make savings whilst also maintaining essential services.

7.1.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

• The options appraisal and review considered 6 options and has produced clear conclusions and recommended Option 5. The second preferred option would be to commission intermediate care in a community model, but this does not meet need as well, there is evidence to suggest bed based services are required alongside any community model, additionally it would not provide value for money.  The 3^rd preferred option was to reprovide the current care in new or different buildings, but this does not meet need well, would not resolve the requirement for nursed beds and is likely to increase costs. The 4^th and 5^th preferred options sought to reduce the level of service and this is not the intended outcome or again would not meet the requirement for nursed beds. The least preferred option was no change and this would not meet future needs well, would require significant investment and would not be sustainable in the long term.

• Feedback from consultations suggested a co-operative as a means to deliver the service.  It is very difficult to see how this would be able to offer any solution to the need to relocate the services into more suitable buildings, to provide intermediate care within nursing beds and to provide this at less cost than presently.  Over the years the council has considered all options for its residential care buildings, including the resource centres, and the cost of refurbishing and creating larger bedrooms with en-suites was always prohibitive. It is more cost effective to secure new build facilities which would be beyond the capability of a cooperative, or to purchase intermediate beds from other providers.