North Northants Council plans to take on Corby reablement care home at cost of £600,000 – but Rushden’s Spinneyfields misses out

One of the two specialist reablement care homes currently owned and managed by West Northants Council located in the North Northants Council (NNC) area could be taken on by NNC.

Spinneyfields in Rushden and Thackley Green in Corby are 51-bed residential homes for people over-65 needing rehabilitation before returning home from hospital.

Since 2021, the two units have been under the control of West Northants Council (WNC) – taking patients from both areas but not being used to full capacity by either council.

NNC’s executive has now approved a plan to run Thackley Green at the added cost of £600,000 a year to provide centralised reablement beds for its residents.

Cllr Helen Harrison, who is the executive member for adults, health and well-being for NNC, said: “It is going to become a jewel in our social care crown. It will become a model for the future.

"It will enable us to improve the quality of care for our residents.

“We were approached by West Northants Council to take on the running of Thackley Green and started due diligence work.

"It was also made clear recently that if we were unable to take on the centre West Northants Council would have to close it.”

Demand from NNC has been estimated as between 20 and 35 reablement beds for residents at the home at any one time.

Patients with greater needs have been paid for at private facilities. Currently NNC is paying WNC on an ‘on the spot basis’ to use each bed.

Commissioned by Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) under a PFI agreement, Spinneyfields and Thackley Green were built in 2003 along with two others.

Managed by Shaw Healthcare the county council had been due to take them over in 2029 but NCC took over the running of the homes in November 2020.

After NCC split into two unitary councils, Spinneyfields and Thackley Green were then left within the north of the county controlled by neighbouring West Northamptonshire Council since 2021.

Leader of North Northants Council Cllr Jason Smithers said: “Members will remember the scars we had from the county council. I’m still not sure how we have managed to get ourselves into this predicament where we have two assets in our side of the county that have gone to the West, but that governance process can be looked at another day.”

And he added: "This is about better outcomes for our residents, about doing what’s right for our residents.”

Shaw Healthcare is now only in charge of maintaining the buildings.

The PFI has a further seven years to run before the buildings come fully into the ownership of the local authority in which they are geographically located, therefore both Thackley Green and Spinneyfields will revert to ownership by North Northamptonshire Council.

If agreed at the full council meeting due to take place on Thursday, January 26, negotiations with West Northamptonshire Council and Shaw Healthcare will take place to decide the terms of the agreement.