Issue - meetings

Residential based in-house services, Marjorie Cobby House, Selsey

Meeting: 16/11/2021 - Cabinet (Item 26)

26 Residential based in-house services - Marjorie Cobby House, Selsey (CAB07_21/22) pdf icon PDF 223 KB

Report by the Executive Director of Adults and Health.

 

The Chairman of the Health and Adults Social Care Scrutiny Committee will be invited to speak for up to three minutes to provide views on the Marjorie Cobby House decision report.

 

Each of the main minority group leaders will be invited to speak for up to three minutes each on the Marjorie Cobby House decision report.

 

The Cabinet will then discuss the report and any proposals prior to taking any decision.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved:

1.          The end of the provision of in-house residential services for adults in Marjorie Cobby House, 38 St Peter’s Crescent, Selsey, PO20 0NA and all the buildings on site including 38a and 38b St Peter’s Crescent. This will include closure of the building, declaration that the buildings are surplus to operational requirements as per the plan set out in Appendix C and for the return of the buildings to the Council’s Property and Assets service to manage or dispose of.

 

2.          The arrangements for future provision of short-term residential care services in the Chichester and Bognor Regis area as set out in paragraph 2.

 

3.          To delegate the implementation of recommendation (1) to the Executive Director Adults and Health (DASS) in light of the potential short term use of the building as outlined in paragraph 1.10 of the report.

The call-in deadline is 25 November 2021.

 

Minutes:

26.1       Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Adults and Health. The report was introduced by Cllr Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults Services who outlined the reasons for the proposal including the under-utilisation of beds, the condition and suitability of the building and facilities at Marjorie Cobby House (MCH) and the increased demand for supporting people in their own homes. The Cabinet Member referred to a letter she had received setting out the concerns of the TFG but she felt that the concerns raised had been fully addressed in the approach to the proposed closure. Keith Hinkley, Director of Adults and Health advised of the commitment to find alternative provision through discharge to assess, reablement programmes, short term residential care and, where appropriate, the Home First pathway. To manage current demand on the health and social care system, the decision could enable the potential use of MCH as an interim social care solution through the winter period.

 

26.2       Cllr Garry Wall, Chairman of the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee (HASC) provided feedback from a Task and Finish Group (TFG) which convened on 5 November to discuss the proposals. Cllr Wall fed back the TFG’s concerns that closure could aggravate pressures in hospitals and expose a lack of expertise in care homes to provide reablement services. The TFG felt the decision should be deferred for 6 months and that further scrutiny take place by the full committee.

 

26.3         Cllr Kirsty Lord, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group agreed with the TFG’s conclusion that the decision should be deferred. Cllr Lord expressed concern about pressure created by the ongoing pandemic and what future need might look like.

 

26.4         Cllr Caroline Baxter, Leader of the Labour Group felt the decision’s timing during the current care staff crisis was poor. The decision would put increased pressures on community health services and would impair the success of the reablement programme. Cllr Baxter felt the decision should be deferred and referred back to HASC.

 

26.5         The following points were made by Cabinet Members in discussion:

 

Ø  Cllr Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People noted the strategic intention to keep people in their homes for longer, that the building was not fit for purpose and accommodated very few patients from the immediate community, clearly demonstrating the reduced demand.

Ø  Cllr Steve Waight, Cabinet Member for Support Services and Economic Development outlined that if the facility remained open from December to March 2022, this would allow the development of medium term community based capacity which could lead to longer term capacity for the future, whereas this would not happen if the decision was deferred for 6 months.

ØCllr Jeremy Hunt, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property appreciated the closure of any service is an emotive issue, however proposals did have to be prioritised within a limited budget and this decision offered savings without cuts to services. The current model did not provide value for money and a better service could be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26