Agenda item

To consider the proposals for the closure of Hillcote Residential Centre. The consultation document produced by Wiltshire Parent Carer Council is attached.

During the previous week the Clinical Commissioning Group had held a public meeting on the proposed closure of Hillcote Residential Centre. The Board received a presentation from the speaker at that meeting, Dr Angela Scott.

The closure of the centre would impact on families across the south of Wiltshire, with disabled young people who currently use the facilities, as it would mean they would need to travel to the alternative site in Devizes.

A Rapid Scrutiny Review was carried out, the following recommendations were made:

1.               The rapid scrutiny group recommends that Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services notes the following comments and makes appropriate representations to the Clinical Commissioning Group Governing Body on 26 November. A formal response at the Children’s Select Committee on 3 December 2013 is also requested.

The rapid scrutiny group accepts the argument that a revised provision of services for children and young people with SEND could lead to greater accessibility of services overall, assuming the retention of a specialist residential centre (i.e. Canon’s House). However, little information has been provided to evidence that the proposed alternative service model would adequately meet the needs of service users. The group therefore has considerable concerns about the proposals and the amount of information provided to support them. The group’s concerns are as follows:

1.     The proposals have not been properly costed in the following ways:

a)    No figures have been provided to demonstrate how the predicted cost of specialist carers (£40kpa, per carer) has been arrived at (for example, figures from other local authorities who have already adopted this system). The group are sceptical that this sum is realistic given the high upfront costs the carers will face in order to properly adapt and equip their homes;

b)    The potential impact of the new specialist carer scheme on the future use of Canon’s House and its sustainability in the long term does not appear to have been considered.

The group therefore concludes that the cost neutrality of the proposals has not been substantiated. The availability of the savings proposed for reinvestment in early intervention services therefore cannot be assumed either.

2.     Given historic difficulties recruiting foster carers for young people with more complex needs, the Council may face considerable difficulties recruiting and approving the specialist carers proposed. No information has been provided demonstrating how this will be achieved (for example, from the experiences of other local authorities who have already adopted this system), particularly within the ambitious timeframe of April 2014.

3.     It has been reported that specialist carers would be subject to the same quality assurance and safeguarding checks as foster carers for children and young people without SEND. The group believes that the greater vulnerability of children and young people with SEND demands a much more robust system of monitoring to protect the children’s welfare and to protect the specialist carers.

4.     No information has been provided to show how continuity of provision for service users will be maintained if a specialist carer decides to stop operating. This could have a serious impact on service users and their families.

5.     It has not been demonstrated that the proposed specialist carer scheme will be able to provide care at short notice, for example, when a young person’s parent is taken ill.

6.     The group has received anecdotal evidence that parents have not been made aware of or offered provision at Hillcote when it may have been appropriate for their child. The group are therefore concerned that a lack of information and guidance, rather than a lack of demand, has contributed to the decline in Hillcote’s use in recent years.

7.     It has not been demonstrated what emergency plans will be put in place to ensure continuity of service if Canon’s House was temporarily unable to operate, for example because of a fire.

8.     It is reported that a proportion of the savings from the proposed closure of Hillcote would be reinvested in Early Intervention services. However, no information has been provided on what these services will actually consist of and how their effectiveness has been assessed.

The Salisbury Area Board supported the recommendations of the Rapid Scrutiny Review Group and supported the work of the ‘Friends of Hillcote’ group.

Andrew Roberts, Chairman of SCC also supported the group and the Area Board in the resolution, and added that perhaps consideration be given to whether the centre could be listed as an asset of community value.

Decision

1.     The Salisbury Area Board calls upon Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Wiltshire Council to ensure that there is a residential respite care facility in central South Wiltshire and to ensure it is used to its optimum level.

2.     That the CCG be urged to postpone any decision on Hillcote until the New Year