UK Disability Resource of Disabled Needs

Aylsham respite home to close

07 November 2007

A RESPITE home in Aylsham used by disabled children from all over the county is to close with services moved 35 miles away.

Families using 5 Mill Close, on the St Michael's Hospital site, will have to travel to Little Acorns at Gorleston from the end of February.

Parents are due to be officially informed of the changes on November 20. The 15 staff have been told they can work at Gorleston or take redundancy.

Norfolk PCT says the Mill Close bungalow, known as Squirrels, is “unsatisfactory” and the move will improve services, making them more efficient and reliable for families and staff.

But Liz Jones, chairman of Aylsham Town Council, says Squirrels should be upgraded. She has accused the trust of “wrecking people's lives” and says it will be stripping the town of yet another PCT service after its proposal to shut St Michael's Community Hospital.

The purpose-built bungalow, opened about 20 years ago, provides short breaks for five children at a time. The five to 18-year-olds have severe learning difficulties and multiple disabilities and the home is used by 27 families from within the Norfolk PCT area. Little Acorns is used by 16 families, five of whom are from Norfolk PCT's region.

The PCT, working with its Great Yarmouth and Waveney counterpart, says changes are necessary because a growing number of children with more complex health needs are attending both homes and Mill Close, unlike Little Acorns, was not designed for them.

Beds at both homes are only used 65-75pc of the time, instead of 90-95pc. Louise Denby, assistant director of Norfolk PCT's Children's Services, said: “We could fill all of our beds all of the time, but currently we cannot staff all of the beds in both units.

“This can result in last-minute cancellation of respite care, or only opening a unit five days a week, rather than seven.”

Little Acorns has recently been modernised and is more child-friendly with facilities including a sensory room, according to the PCT. The change would mean Little Acorns could open its sixth bed again and re-open seven days a week, instead of its present five days.

Staff would benefit in a number of ways, including improved manning levels and training suited to children's changing needs.

And the PCT says Mill Close could become a day-care and treatment centre for children in north Norfolk, offering a service which is not at present available in Norfolk.

Miss Jones said information provided by the PCT was unclear and incomplete. She stressed that Aylsham Town Council had not had a chance to discuss the closure but said she was totally opposed to it.

“There is a lack of respite facilities in the county. How precisely is shutting Mill Close supposed to improve things and benefit families and staff if they've got to travel all that way?” she asked.

“Why can't they find the money to keep our facility open? If it needs updating - then update it. Maybe the PCT should conduct another cost-cutting exercise and get rid of a few admin salaries to pay for extra front-line staff at Mill Close.

“It doesn't make sense. Their figures show that Aylsham is used by more families and we're much more central.”

She was concerned that the PCT had admitted children would have longer travelling times to school, with the greatest impact on the five families with boys and girls attending schools in Sheringham and Cromer. The PCT has pledged that individual solutions would be sought in these cases.

And she criticised the lack of notice which could leave families who had already planned holidays in February half-term and at Easter “high and dry” without respite back-up.

Miss Jones, who also leads the town's St Michael's working group, claimed the PCT had “strongly reiterated” throughout consultation on their proposals to shut the hospital that respite services for adults and children at Mill Close would not be affected.

“This is just another way the PCT is trying to close all services in Aylsham and make it easier to sell off the whole lot,” she added.

Ms Denby said the PCT would be looking at each child's situation and working with social services and parents to consider possible alternative services closer to a child's home or school.

“These are considerable changes and some families may feel unsettled; we do recognise that change can be scary,” she said.

“But for many families it will improve thing by providing a higher quality, more reliable and more accessible service.”
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