Future of Northampton day care centre under threat as county council seeks to make further cuts

A Northampton day care centre for dementia sufferers could be under threat of closure as the county council seeks to trim £440,000 from its budget.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Aug 2016, 14:05 BST
Updated 26th Aug 2016, 15:06 BST
The Drayton Centre in Kingsthorpe is under threat from closure as part of a review of day care facilities in Northamptonshire.The Drayton Centre in Kingsthorpe is under threat from closure as part of a review of day care facilities in Northamptonshire.
The Drayton Centre in Kingsthorpe is under threat from closure as part of a review of day care facilities in Northamptonshire.

Councillors will discuss a proposed review of day centre services in Northamptonshire at a cabinet meeting on September 6.

The review could see the closure of two centres, Drayton Centre in Kingsthorpe and Stephenson Court in Kilsby, run by Olympus Care Services for people with dementia.

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Cabinet members will be asked to agree to hold a four-week consultation on the review, which would include one-to-one or family meetings with all day centre users and staff.

There are currently 34 people who use the Drayton Centre and 16 at Stephenson Court, and the council claims that “alternative support services” would be found for them if the centres close.

Cabinet member for adult social care Councillor Bill Parker said: “People in Northamptonshire will know by now that, as a county, we are facing reduced funding from central Government and rising demand for our services, and that means we have some difficult decisions to make.

“While we understand that a decision to close these two centres may not be popular, it is also fair to say that the move to personal budgets, which allows our adult social care clients to decide what services they require for themselves, means day centres are not as well used as they used to be.

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“I would like to reassure people that there will be no reduction in the level of service they receive and if a decision is made to close the two centres, we will identify other day centres they can use in their local area.

“We will fully support those people who currently use the day centres throughout this period of consultation and through any changes that arise as a result.”

A decision to close the two centres after the consultation period would result in an annual saving of £440,000 for Northamptonshire County Council.

As part of the consultation, the authority says “advocates” will be provided to support people with capacity issues - such as dementia - who don’t have family support.

The review will be discussed again by cabinet later this year when a final decision on the future of the two centres will be made.

Related topics:CouncillorsNorthamptonNorthamptonshireGovernment