Manchester day care centres closure a ‘financial necessity’

Closing two day care centres and cutting 51 jobs is a “financial necessity”, Manchester City Council has said.
The plan, which will be considered by the Health Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, will affect elderly and disabled day care in the city.

The council said it would see services move to three existing large purpose-built facilities, saving £1.7m.

Opponents said it would “take away valuable, needed services”.

Anne Powell, whose son is cared for at one of the centres earmarked for closure said: “Without the day centres, parents will just go under – they won’t be able to cope.”

The proposals, which have been subject to a 16-week consultation, will see the Eric Hobin centre in Blackley and the Northfields centre in Moston closed.

Services at those centres will be moved to Heathfield in Newton Heath, Minehead in Withington and Hall Lane in Wythenshawe.

The Oakwood Centre in Northenden which had been considered for closure, will remain open for residents with “complex and multiple needs”.

‘Very tough decisions’

The council said resources and expertise would be “pooled into the main hub venues to give residents and staff the best support possible”.

“This structure will also save on running and building costs on venues, which had previously been running under capacity or need substantial maintenance work,” it added.

The council confirmed 29 of the staff affected by the plan had opted to take voluntary redundancy, while the remainder had been redeployed.

Councillor Paul Andrews, from the ruling Labour group, said the council had been “forced to make very tough decisions” in light of necessary savings.

“However, we have remained resolute about protecting the most vulnerable members of our society,” he said.

Mr Andrews said the plan meant “there won’t be a single resident losing day centre provision [and] we will do our utmost to keep friends together and offer provision on geographic and personal needs”.

‘Well below capacity’

Liz Bruce, strategic director for Adult Social Services at the council, said nobody who required care would “be left without a place”.

She said: “We have 365 citizens attending day sessions at the moment, with enough sessions for enough places with the four buildings that will remain.

“We now have about 82 staff, and we know theoretically we need about 80.

“We understand the concerns, but the whole principles of the approach is we can increase choice and flexibility for the people who want it and retain the services for those with the most complex needs.”

Manchester Withington Liberal Democrat MP John Leech said he did not think the move was “just about money”.

He said: “There has been a reduction in the use of the centres over a longer period of time, as people have individual budgets, people have not been accessing these services to the same extent they used to years ago. As a result of that a lot of the centres are actually well below capacity.

“There will clearly be some disruption for some people who would be expected to move from one centre to another.

“I rather suspect the council would be doing this regardless of whether or not there had been budget reductions because they recognised, that as well as there being a budget reduction, the centres were not being as well used as they were in the past”.