Pwllheli care home future under review

A CONSULTATION on the future of two residential homes for adults with learning difficulties, could result in the closure of one, or both, of the sites.

The council says Tan y Marian in Pwllheli, along with Pant yr Eithin in Harlech, are not being used to their full potential, and changes could result in a £200,000 saving.

Four options will be available in the consultation – which starts in January – ahead of a decision next June.

The options include keeping both sites open – but that is seen as an inadequate use of resources; closing Tan y Marian and keeping a home in Harlech for eight residents; closing Pant yr Eithin and having a home in Pwllheli for eight residents; or close both – but the council say there is “inadequate capacity” to relocate the residents.

Closing one of the homes would make a saving of £200,000 per year – the council needs to save £300,000 by April 2012 as part of its efficiency savings.

Next Tuesday’s council board agenda says the sale would release land for “potential
development of modern accommodation models for the future”.

Eleven adults would be affected by the changes, five of whom live in the Pwllheli home.

The review by Gwynedd Council’s head of social services Gwen Carrington identifies it could be “possible to meet the needs of a number of residents of these homes in a much more suitable setting, and that current provision could be rationalised to be much more effective”.

The social services department has to deliver the efficiency savings as part of the council’s savings strategy up to 2013.

The review adds: “These options are more appealing to service users and their families, rather than more traditional residential services.”

Tan y Marian currently has annual running costs of just over £484,000, which equates to nearly £97,000 per resident.

Ms Carrington added: “During the summer of 2010, the needs of the 11 residents of Tan y Marian and Pant yr Eithin were assessed to identify the most appropriate accommodation provision for them.

“This work concluded that seven of the residents will need to continue to receive general residential care but that this kind of provision no longer meets the needs of the remaining four residents.”

Councillor Dai Rees Jones, the council’s social services portfolio leader, said: “In common with all councils throughout the country our aim is to ensure that the significant savings which the social services department must deliver do not affect the standard of service or prevent the development of sustainable and responsive services over the coming years.”