Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision to close Blackburn Lodge once suitable alternative provision is established on the Isle of Sheppey.

Ms C Holden, Head of Commissioning for Accommodation Solutions, was in attendance for this and the following three items.

1.            The Chairman asked Members if, in debating agenda items B3 to B6 they wished to refer to the information set out in the exempt appendices F2 to F4.  Members confirmed that they did not wish to and discussion of these items took place in open session. 

2.            Ms Holden introduced the report and responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

a)    the County Council owned the Blackburn Lodge care home, however a covenant on the site from the Ministry of Defence stated that the site should be used for health and social care purposes only. The County Council had approached the Ministry to have the covenant lifted, however this was not currently seen as a priority; and

b)    as part of the Equality Impact Assessment which the County Council had carried out, every service user likely to be affected by the proposed closure would have a personalised review to assess the impact upon them.

3.            The Cabinet Member, Mr Gibbens, thanked Members for their comments and said that he viewed the proposed changes as a positive move forward for social care provision on the Isle of Sheppey. He said he had long been concerned about the lack of nursing care facilities on the island and stated his commitment to addressing this issue.

4.            RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, to:

a)    close Blackburn Lodge, once suitable alternative provision is established on the Isle of Sheppey; and

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

taking account of the comments made by this committee, be endorsed.