Campaigners bid to save 'crucial' care home

About 250 campaigners have marched through a town in Derbyshire to protest against plans to close or sell off a care home.

They met outside the Ada Belfield Centre, in Belper, before walking to a meeting with local councillors and MP Jonathan Davies.

It is one of three care homes owned by Derbyshire County Council that it has proposed to shut, in the face of "increasing financial pressures".

Natalie Hoy, the cabinet member for adult care, said no decisions had yet been made about the Ada Belfield and feedback from a public consultation would "be fully taken into account".

In November, the council confirmed the closure of eight of its other care homes, as well as five dementia day care centres.

It was heavily criticised for that decision, but Hoy said the council had seen its costs rise - including energy bills - and also faced a "continued increase in demand" for social care services.

Millie Donnelly who lives in the care home, which opened in 2020 at a cost of £11m, will turn 100 years old in May.

But instead of looking forward to her centennial celebrations, her great-niece Justine Gibling said she was surrounded by an "air of worry and caution" about what lay ahead.

Ms Gibling said: "The thought of her having to move or having this level of emotional disruption or turmoil and doubt months before her 100th birthday is just shocking and disgusting."

Among the protesters was also Kathy Stoker, whose 90-year-old dad had been living at the centre for the past year.

"Unfortunately, next week probably, he's going to have to move out because there's a lot of carers that have left because of the uncertainty of the home and there aren't enough carers there to hoist him up in the morning," she said.

"He's very unsettled and he's very upset about it as are we."

Keith Venables, who organised Saturday's rally, called the closure of care homes by the council a "scandalous situation".

"Belper people are justly proud of this flagship establishment, which plays an integral role in our town and in our hearts," he said.

"Nearly everyone in Belper knows someone who either lives or works at the Ada Belfield Centre and its loss would be felt by us all."

Retired local GP Dr Heather Kinsella said the Ada Belfield Centre was a "crucial part of our community", adding that she hoped the council "got the message".

Hoy said the council had always prided itself on being "well-managed", but was facing increasing financial pressures outside of its control.

She added: "We are also seeing a continued decline in people choosing to go into a traditional residential care setting, instead people are wanting and are choosing to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible."

She said that meant they often had "more acute needs" when they left their homes and required nursing care, which the council could not legally provide.

"These changes in demand, including the need to support the growing number of people with dementia and their carers, means it is vital we explore options to ensure we are sustainable and meet the needs of our residents," Hoy said.

She added that the library in the centre would be unaffected by plans for the care home.

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