203 jobs could be axed in council proposal to shut down its last elderly care homes

Elderly residents, some with dementia, will have to find somewhere else to live if Birmingham City Council goes ahead with plans to shut its last elderly care homes. The jobs of 203 permanent staff also look set to go in the move to cut costs, subject to consultation.

Council-run residential care operates in three venues - Kenrick Centre in Harborne, Ann Marie Howes in Sheldon and the Perry Tree Centre in Kingstanding. They are all run as joint council/NHS facilities, with half of the rooms for council residents, and half used as NHS care beds for patients needing rehab and recovery care after hospital stays before going home.

Under the council's preferred proposal, all residential care provided by the council would be axed and the centres would likely become dedicated NHS recovery hubs. The move would save the cash-strapped authority £6.4 million next year, it said.

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Families affected have been warned new residential care or nursing homes will have to be found privately for the 59 residents currently living there. They have been told there are 'plenty of spaces' in private homes in the city.

The news shocked Lynn Jones, whose mum, Violet, 87, has lived at Ann Marie Howes centre for 18 months and expected it to be her home for life. Her mum has dementia and took a long time to settle at the home, but is now content, Lynn said. "It is a lovely home, the staff are so good, and caring, and mum is finally relaxed and knows her way around. It is awful news."

She said she feared the impact of the move, and was at odds with the council's claim of there being a lot of spare capacity in the private sector. "The good homes are much more likely to be full, I have visited and spoken to five so far and they are all full." Lynn said she feared extra costs would be involved too, as her mum currently pays a minimum contribution through her pension, which is topped up through social care funding.

"I don't know if we can fight this. I am speaking to other families but it is not looking good, we are all really worried."

The council has set out its proposals and the options under consideration in a consultation document. The consultation runs until December 20, with a final decision expected in February. Subject to final agreement, staff would then be consulted on job losses and resident transfers arranged.

The document sets out 12 options, from doing nothing, to retaining one, two or three locations, to closing down and selling the venues, to renting them out. The council makes clear only one option would meet the savings targets set - close the council-run facilities, and lease out the space.

The NHS would have first option on the space. In its report, the council said a review took place between May and September, which looked at data, costs and care quality. "The review considered a range of ways the council could save money...and identified a recommended or preferred option."

The current premises are rated Good (Ann Marie Hows and Perry Tree) and Requires Improvement (Kenrick Centre) by the care homes regulator. The centres have 203 permanent staff, spread across the three locations, delivering council-funded care.

The council document said: "The current staffing model is not sustainable or affordable, with vacancies and sickness absence concerns resulting in high use of agency staff and overtime payments." The centres are costly to operate and the buildings need some investment.

It said it cost the council four times as much to run its own residential care facilities than it paid to independent care providers for the same type of care. "The income from citizen charges is limited by the affordability and financial thresholds under the Care Act, which limits the ability of the council to recover the full cost of the service. This means the balance of funding is paid for by Birmingham taxpayers."

In a list of 'disadvantages' for the preferred option, it said 'current staff would not be retained, and mitigation or redundancy would be offered'. Staff have not yet been formally informed their jobs are at risk, according to the consultation documents, as that would depend on the outcome of the final decision. "Formal consultation will then be planned to address any staffing issues..."

The council said there was 'sufficient capacity' to accommodate all 59 residents in the aorund 200 care homes in the city. Families would be supported to choose a new home 'following a comprehensive assessment of needs carried out by a dedicated social work team.'

The move is seen as another blow to the city's elderly and vulnerable communities, following the council's decision to close four of its nine adult day care centres. That triggered widespread protest and anger, but ultimately the decision was rubberstamped.

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Birmingham City Council declared it was in financial distress last year, and has been seeking more than £300 million in cuts to services this year and next year to balance its books. The closure of its last residential care beds would save £350,000 immediately, and £6.4 million next year, according to the documents. The cost of care per resident is valued at £2,642 a week, though most only pay a minimal contribution to this.

The council is not duty-bound to deliver or provide residential care and support itself to people eligible for it, but must ensure there is enough provision. It is also bound by the Care and Support and Aftercare (Choice of Accommodation) Regulations 2014 to ensure citizens have a right to choose their accommodation when requiring residential care.

Cllr Rob Pocock, acting cabinet member for health and social care for Birmingham City Council, said today: “We know residents will be concerned about future plans for the care centres and fully understand that these are people’s homes. That’s why we have made clear the impact on residents of all options.

"In all cases, the quality of care residents receive will be maintained – there will be no reduction in the level of service or the standard of care people receive. We will be doing face-to-face consultation and there will be care staff on hand to support residents and their families. The consultation team will be on site at the care centres throughout to offer support. I would like to reassure people that if changes do need to be made to the location for residents’ care nothing will happen until appropriate alternatives are found.”