Derbyshire care homes face axe at council meeting

Councillors are to discuss recommendations to close seven council-run care homes in Derbyshire next week.

The county council said they were no longer fit for purpose and needed significant repairs costing £31m.

The union Unison, which represents carers, has criticised the authority saying it has kept staff in the dark.

The council said it would support staff to find suitable alternative roles and residents financially if the decision is made to close them.

The authority said the seven homes required significant maintenance and refurbishment including replacing boilers, heating systems, refitting all kitchens and bathrooms, roofing works and installing sprinkler systems.

There was also an "urgent need" to carry out rewiring in the homes by September, meaning residents would have to move out for up to 40 weeks, the authority said.

The homes are:

The council said the cabinet would take the views of the 483 people who responded during its 12-week consultation when it discusses recommendations to permanently close the homes at the meeting on 5 May.

Emma Roberts, East Midlands regional organiser for Unison, said: "From the very beginning, we have asked Derbyshire County Council to engage with us on this consultation process and assure care workers that their jobs would be safe.

"However, they have avoided those conversations and have kept hardworking carers in the dark.

"This is a deep cut to public services in Derbyshire and we fear this is just the beginning, given the ongoing consultation on adult day centres in the county".

Natalie Hoy, cabinet member for adult care, said: "We've listened to people's views and I understand the concerns raised but the extent of the work needed is significant and in order to ensure the safety of our residents and staff it cannot be carried out with people still living in them.

"Even if we carried out all the work these homes still wouldn't offer the space or modern facilities to provide high quality care."

The authority said admissions have dropped over the last few years and now across Derbyshire almost 40% of care home providers have reported occupancy rates below 80%.

Ms Hoy said: "Taking this into account together with the fact that there are enough local, suitable alternatives in each area we have to consider whether this significant expenditure would be a good use of public money."

She added it would be a "difficult decision" to close the homes and understood it was an "unsettling" time for those involved.

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