Slough Council to push ahead with day centre closures

At a cabinet meeting on Monday, September 20, members gave the go-ahead to shut down five care centres operated by Slough Borough Council and replace them with services run by other providers tailored towards the users’ needs following assessments.

These could be operated by private providers or by community groups and charities.

A consultation was held between July 5 and August 6 and the following centres will close:

• Lavender Court
• Respond (short-term breaks service)
• Priors Day Service
• Phoenix Day Service
• The Pines Day Service

READ MORE: Slough Council eyes to close these care services

This move will affect 107 users who have learning disabilities and/or autism and will likely result in the 61 staff being made redundant or redeployed into similar roles.

This move will save the council about £1.1m by next year.

Adult social care officers say each person will be assessed to identify their needs and will be supported to build a plan to find a “personalised solution” for them.

Cllr Natasa Pantelic (Lab: Cippenham Meadows), lead member for social care and public health, said they still have a statutory responsibility to make sure the users’ needs are met but that doesn’t mean the services have to be operated by the council.

Cllr Natasa Pantelic

A petition was set up by Kryzysztof Dudzinski, whose daughter uses the services, and was signed by over 800 residents urging the council to abandon the closure plans.

Some cabinet members did raise concerns that users may have to travel miles to other areas, such as Reading, to access the care they need that if it is not available in Slough.

Officers say that will be part of the reassessment and will work to a solution with the user.

But Alan Sinclair, director of adults and communities, said the cabinet “need to be realistic” with the “finite” adult social budget that they have, believing opting to personalised delivery will be cost-efficient and will be better than the current services, citing Lavender Court being graded as ‘requires improvement’.

Priors Day Service

He said: “We have a reducing adult social care budget over the coming years and you as cabinet need to be realistic about what’s going to be available for people as we move forward in terms of meeting the right social care needs.

“Clearly we will aim first and foremost to make sure we are meeting our statutory responsibilities in terms of assessing peoples’ needs and then we will be trying to work out how best to meet peoples’ needs within the budget available.

“That means that some people may have to wait longer. It’s not ideal because we haven’t got the budget to be able to meet peoples’ needs. Some people may not get their first choice for what they’re looking for in terms of meeting their needs.

“But we are committed, and we will be committed to making sure the statutory responsibilities are met and everybody will get an assessment, and everyone will have an identified plan about how their needs will be met.”

READ MORE: Closing Slough day centres is an 'attack on vulnerable people'

The leader of the opposing Conservatives, Cllr Wayne Strutton (Haymill & Lynch Hill), had ‘grave concerns’ about the consultation, fearing that more staff, users, and the users’ families may have been missed out.

During the consultation process, 55 people responded to the online surveys, 18 people attended focus groups, two people used mail, and one person telephoned.

Council officers say they believe only “a few” people haven’t been contacted but everyone on their system was notified of the consultation.

However, they said the council will still engage with those who were missed out and will still be able to put their views forward on the next steps.

Are you affected by these closures? Please contact james.bagley@newsquest.co.uk and tell us how this will affect you or your family member who use the services