A “lifeline” service for people with severe care needs in Bath and North East Somerset is set to close in a move that has been a “massive shock” to users.
Dimension’s Newton House on the edge of Bath offers short stays for people with severe care needs, allowing full-time carers to have a short break, known as ‘respite care’. But this week users of the service received a letter from Dimensions and Bath and North East Somerset Council, stating that the short breaks service would be ending.
The letter said: “We understand how important it is for you and your family to be able to access short breaks. This is not a decision we wanted to take, and we did not take it lightly. But unfortunately, Newton House as a short breaks service has simply become unaffordable.”
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Julie Franklin, whose son Ryan Probert for whom she is a full time carer often stays at Newton House, said: “It’s a massive shock.” Ryan is 28 and has an unbalanced translocation of chromosomes which means he is small, is non-verbal, and needs medication and a very high level of care.
Richard Franklin, Ryan’s stepfather, said Newton House is “an actual lifeline.” He said: “Just some time to have normality, whatever that means. […] It makes a big difference.”
It took time to get used to Ryan’s stays at Newton House and for the team at the home to get used to Ryan’s needs and medications, with Julie originally sending someone with him when he stayed there. But now she said: “We know we can trust them. We know we don’t have to worry.”
Richard said: “We have built up a relationship and there’s a lot of trust going both ways […] They do a bloody good job.”
He added: “You have got to have trust in these people to do the right things, because Ryan hasn’t got a voice. He’s non-verbal, though he’s a very happy chappy.”
Now the family does not know what will happen next. The letter they received — the first they heard about the home closing — said that no more bookings would be accepted after the end of January. It will then become a residential care home, also to be run by Dimensions.
It said that they would be supported in finding an alternative service, and a dedicated practitioner appointed by Bath and North East Somerset Council would assess whether their needs were the same. But Julie said: “It’s not like you can just rock up with him anywhere and just leave him. I wouldn’t be able to do that.”
Richard said: “They haven’t thought this through. This is not something you can just set up in a week. If you are going to close a centre down then you must have provision in place.”
He said: “It’s just an invaluable service. Not just for us but other people as well.”
A spokesperson for Dimensions added: “We’re deeply proud of the short breaks we’ve delivered at Newton House over very many years and hope to contribute to the support that replaces it. We look forward to now supporting people to make Newton House their permanent home.”
A spokesperson for Bath and North East Somerset Council said: “This is not a cut in funding for respite care, which we know is important to service-users and their families, it is a change in the way we are providing the service. We are working hard to find alternative support for service users and their families to make sure they have the right provision in the future, which may mean for example community-based support.
“It is a joint decision between the council and the provider which has come about because Newton House is being used to cover other care needs. Please be assured that every service user and their families have a nominated contact person to support them through this change.”
Alan Hale, independent councillor for Keynsham South, said closing Newton House showed a ‘total lack of consideration for those service users who are already disadvantaged’. In a statement on Friday December 6, he said: “I have written this morning to councillor Alison Born and councillor Paul May executive members for adult services and children’s services respectively.”