Agenda item

Report of the Director of Adult Services

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Adult Services which sought approval to consult on two proposals, one concerning the establishment of a Dementia Hub at the Maymorn building and the second on the closure of the Community Zone service at Frank Walsh House Annex and the re-provision of that service at the Wilfred Spencer Centre. 

The report indicated that the Council directly provided or commissioned a range of day opportunities for adults. These served a vital function in at least two separate but related ways:

·  They provided meaningful activities including learning, stimulation and recreation helping in promoting the independence of service users

·  They provided valuable daytime respite for informal carers.

In order to protect vulnerable people during the first wave of Covid-19, day services were closed in March 2020 and were partially reopened from August 2020 which remained the position in August 2021. In response to the closure and subsequent partial reopening of centre-based day opportunities, the City Council had continued to fund packages of care for its eligible residents where required as an alternative to day centre attendance and had worked with providers to adapt day centre-based approaches, to more agile targeted activities that optimised safe interaction but minimised the risk of Covid-19 infection. The report provided detailed information on the numbers of adults and older people receiving a centre based day opportunity arranged through Adult Social Care prior to Covid and currently.

The Council had already begun a reduction in reliance on building-based services and provision of more opportunities for people to make use of community options before the onset of the Covid -19 pandemic, for example, through the delivery of its Jenner 8 centreless service for adults with learning disabilities. The closure and only partial reopening of building based services had given added impetus for the development of outreach models to people in their own homes including utilising care technology solutions to engage people in meaningful activities. Nevertheless, for some individuals, building based services would continue to be the most effective way of meeting specific needs and a blended approach was now required. Management of infection prevention and control was likely to be required for the foreseeable future and provided further opportunity to consider alternative ways to meet need where possible. 

This report was seeking permission to consult on the following two proposals:

Proposal 1 - Dementia Hub

Creation of a Dementia Hub based at the Maymorn building in Everden Road, Holbrooks. This proposal, which resulted from an informal engagement exercise with stakeholders from across the City, would maintain an element of “in person” whole day attendance for part of the week. In addition, through a network of partner agencies including health services and Community and Voluntary sector organisations working in collaboration, the Hub would enable a rich variety of benefits for service users and their families simplifying dementia support access for people with dementia, their families and professionals including GPs.

It was proposed that there would be a wide range of activities and information provided through the Hub to enable people to extend their living well years through early identification information, healthy lifestyles advice and support, physical activity and social and mental activities leading to improved quality of life for those living with Dementia and their carers and families. 

Proposal 2 - Learning Disability Hub

This proposal would see consolidation of building based learning disabilities day opportunities delivered from two establishments; Wilfred Spencer Centre in Whitaker Road, Whoberley and Frank Walsh House annex Jenner Street, Hillfields to focus on as single hub at Wilfred Spencer Centre. It sought to re-design the service into a vibrant “hub and spoke” model incorporating community access and leading to improved outcomes for service users and their families.

The report set out why it was not recommended to either revert back to the pre Covid arrangements or to close building-based services and rely exclusively on community based/ technical solutions.

Details of the engagement activities undertaken in respect of the proposals were outlined.

The report highlighted that there continued to be a number of other day time options available which were independent of Council Adult Social Care funding, examples included Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind, Coventry Asian Blind Association, Ben Day Centre, MBI, Coundon Care and We Care More. Affected by the Pandemic in similar ways to Council provided/commissioned services there was evidence of more recent recovery and restoration of provision. 

Members asked about the capacity to cope with an increasing demand for centre based services and what was being done to meet the needs of the different communities in the city.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The formal consultation with service users, carers, staff and other stakeholders in connection with the establishment of a Dementia Hub at Maymorn be approved.

(2) The commencement of formal consultation with service users, carers, staff and other stakeholders around the closure of the Community Zone service at Frank Walsh House Annex and re-provision of that service at Wilfred Spencer Centre be endorsed.