Birmingham care home closures ”had happy ending”

Closure of care home beds across Birmingham did not have a negative impact on the majority of older people affected, according to research in which 77 per cent of respondents suggested that life had got better or stayed the same as a result of their “resettlement”.

The authors from the University of Birmingham’s Health Services Management Centre (HSMC) looked at Birmingham City Council’s closure of 14 local authority care homes (offering accommodation for around 237 older people) and linked day centres, as well as the transfer of services to new special care centres and other forms of residential care. ‘Extra care housing’ to support more independent living was also offered.

Professor Jon Glasby, who led the study, said: “The received wisdom is that closing services and moving older people elsewhere can be very risky. [But] while the closure of homes in Birmingham was distressing at times for staff and service users, our results suggest that you can minimise potential negative impacts by planning resettlement well and carrying it out sensitively.

“Where outcomes were less than optimal to start off with, you might even be able to improve things for some people. Given that the older people in our study were all one year older and frailer at the end of the research, the fact that most things hadn’t got any worse and that some had improved seems a major achievement.”

The survey showed that 59 per cent of respondents in care homes and 42 per cent in day centres reported an increase in health related quality of life while 31 per cent in care homes and 46 per cent in day centres reported a decrease.

Of those who said life was worse after the changes, around half suggested this was due to deterioration in their actual health rather than due to the services at their current care home, the report authors claimed.

They also recommended the key factors in making such changes as successful as possible include preparation and having a clear strategy, engagement and involvement of key stakeholders in decisions about services, and operational capacity, ie giving service users adequate assessment to make sure new services are effective.

Glasby said: “Closing homes is never something to be embarked upon lightly – but this study suggests that the risks of a major decline in quality of life can be reduced and that some positive outcomes can be achieved if the process is conducted well. This needs high levels of respect, communication and empathy, as well as plenty of time and space to follow good practice. There are lessons other local authorities in similar situations should look to learn for the future.”