Decision details

Proposed decision: Subject to the outcome of consultation, to agree for the County Council to:

1.      Commission alternative services to accommodate the residents and service users of the Dorothy Lucy Centre

2.      Transfer residents and service users to alternative provision

3.      Close the Dorothy Lucy Centre

The proposed decision relates to Corporate Objectives and there are a number of strategies and frameworks that need to be considered:

·         Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement 2015 – 2020

·         The Care Act 2014

·         KCC Adult Social Care Transformation Programme

·         Facing the Challenge: Delivering Better Outcomes

·         The Kent Accommodation Strategy which is the over-riding Market Position Statement for Kent

Financial Implications:

The current budget for the service will be reallocated to the commissioned services, the cost of which will be known once services are secured. There will be associated costs relating to redundancy and retirement, which will be known following the formal staff consultation period. It is expected that savings could be in the region of £600k.

Legal Implications:

The County Council has a statutory responsibility to accommodate people assessed as requiring residential care services. There is a duty to make sure that all care home provision in which the council places residents is safeguarding individuals and that effective contract management is in place.

Equality Implications:

An Equalities Impact Assessment has been completed for the overall project. Individual EqIAs will be completed to accompany the recommendation report and proposed decision.

The matter is referred to in the Directorate’s Business Plan/Medium Term Capital Programme.

As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, I agree:

i)       to close the Dorothy Lucy Centre, Maidstone;

ii)      to re-provide elderly frail services (currently provided by the Dorothy Lucy Centre) through existing external provision;

iii)     to re-provide dementia day services (currently provided by the Dorothy Lucy Centre) through a block contract;

iv)     to re-provide the short term beds (currently provided by the Dorothy Lucy Centre) in the independent sector;

v)      that Dorothy Lucy Centre day provision continues to operate as is until at least March 2017, to allow time to complete a procurement exercise for a block contract and implement a transition plan;

vi)     that existing services will not close until alternative provision is available for the current service users;

vii)    to give consideration to leasing the Dorothy Lucy Centre day centre part of the building to an external provider as an interim measure if they are unable to secure a suitable venue within the procurement timetable, with the understanding that they identify an alternate venue within a given timeframe;

viii)   to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, or other nominated officer, to undertake the necessary actions to implement this decision.