Dozens of elderly people and their families have been left angry and upset after learning their fun days out and parties are to be scrapped because of savage council cuts.
Plymouth City Council has axed funding which provides social inclusion support for old people, many with disabilities, living in seven city extra care homes.
The homes allow people to live independently but with care and support, for instance if they are partially sighted. Plymouth City Council has just awarded new contracts to the care providers but scrapped the social inclusion contract – the funding that provided the likes of coffee mornings, bingo sessions, entertainments, parties and trips out for the elderly residents in the homes.
It also covered visits to people in their flats, to make sure they are OK. Some staff will lose their jobs as a result of the cutbacks, unless a miracle new funder steps forward before April 1.
More than 160 people live in the homes affected. They were told at a series of meetings last week – resulting in anger and upset.
Plymouth not-for-profit charity Elder Tree Befriending Services had run the social inclusion activities for the past five years in five of the homes: St Barnabas Court, in Stoke; Runnymede Court, in Estover; Astor Court, in Cattedown; St Paul’s Court, in Efford; and The Rise, in Plympton, which specialises in housing people with visual impairment. Two other homes – Devonport Views, in Devonport, and River View Court, in Ernesettle – are also affected but social inclusion has a different provider in these homes.
Louise Barnes, chief executive of Elder Tree Befriending Services, said she was present at the meetings with residents in five of the homes and said: “There was a lot of anger and upset from the residents, that’s to be expected. I was there to support our staff. There was a lot of upset in the room but the council handled it well.”
She said the decision will mean Elder Tree will have to lose six staff, but it will fortunately be able to continue. She said: “We were shocked and saddened when the council decided to stop this service. They did not have the money to pay for it. But it’s a sign of the times.
“It will have a massive impact on residents in terms of physical and mental health. We can continue operating, we have other work, but we lose six members of staff and a service we think is amazing.”
She added: “We appreciate the budgetary challenges and that they (the council) are not receiving money from central government for this service. They have had to make some difficult decisions, they know the impact of the service.
“We have been looking at other funding options, other funders that could pick this up, but have not found anything appropriate or viable. It would be amazing if some business would help with funding. If there is anyone, we would love to hear from them.”
Patricia Cherry, a resident at The Rise, said residents were told in a meeting that the council was withdrawing its funding for Elder Tree. She said she was “amazed” because the social inclusion work had been in place for years and was invaluable. Mrs Cherry said: “There are lots of people that can’t get out and need this.”
A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said the extra care housing schemes help more than 160 older people to continue living independently in self-contained flats with 24-hour on-site care and support. Residents receive housing and practical support from their landlord and support for their personal care needs is provided by CQC-registered providers who have staff onsite 24/7.
The spokesperson said: “This includes making sure they are able to come and socialise with others for meals. In addition, residents were provided with the opportunity to join organised social activities.”
The spokesperson said new contracts to secure the care support for our Extra Care schemes for the next eight years have been provisionally awarded to two new suppliers: Care Outlook and Radis Community Care, following a procurement process. But the spokesperson added: “We have made the difficult decision not to award a new contract for the activity part of the service, known as ‘social inclusion’.
“Staff from the council attended all seven of the extra care schemes on Thursday to meet with residents and their families to hear their views. We’ll be working closely with the extra care and housing providers to make sure the residents still have some opportunities to socialise and take part in activities.
“We also discussed whether other options might be possible to support activities for residents to continue and some of the residents groups are going to explore how they might be able to do this, including through fundraising. The council is also supporting affected staff via our Caring Plymouth partnership to help them with new employment options and practical skills like preparing for interviews.”
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