Decision: to close Kiln Court registered care home, Faversham, and 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.
The 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.
Decision type: Key
Reason Key: Affects more than two Electoral Divisions;
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Division affected: Faversham;
Notice of proposed decision first published: 23/02/2016
Anticipated restriction: Part exempt - View reasons
Explanation of anticipated restriction:
Supporting material to the decision paperwork contains commercially-sensitive information
Decision due: Not before 22nd Mar 2016 by Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
Reason: in order that the proposed decision can be published for a minimum of 28 days, in accordance with statutory requirements
Lead member: Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
Department: Social Care, Health & Wellbeing
Contact: Christy Holden, Head of Children's Commissioning 03000 415356.
Consultees
At the meeting of the Adult Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee on 11 September 2015, Members were given the opportunity to comment on the proposals before the start of formal public consultation. The committee resolved that the proposal for consultation be endorsed.
An update on the formal consultation process was provided to the Adult Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee on 3 December 2015.
A recommendation report was presented to the Adult Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee on 14 January 2016. The committee resolved that further work be undertaken and a formal proposal brought to its next meeting. Accordingly, a recommendation report setting out the proposed Cabinet Member decision was presented to the Adult Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee on 10 March 2016. Officers introduced the report and explained why this had been delayed from January. The local Member and Members of the Committee raised the value placed on having local services run by trusted providers such as KCC and the importance of having good quality services available to all. The Cabinet Member gave an assurance that no closure would happen until alternative care provision was established and operating to his satisfaction.
The Committee resolved, by majority vote, that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, to close Kiln Court and delegate to officers to undertake the necessary actions to implement this, be endorsed.
Other consultation undertaken:
The County Council has a duty to undertake formal consultation on any proposed changes to services. Social Care Health and Wellbeing (SCHW) entered into formal consultation on the future of its registered care home at Kiln Court, Faversham, on 28 September 2015. The consultation ran for twelve weeks to 20 December 2015 and followed the agreed protocol on proposals affecting its service provision. On 28 September 2015, SCHW officers met with members of staff, service users and their relatives, trades unions and other key stakeholders to discuss the proposals. A breakdown of the responses by type and organisation is included in the supporting paperwork.
Three petitions were received against the proposal to close Kiln Court; one from Unison Kent Branch, one from the Faversham Labour Party and one from Faversham Health Matters. The County Council’s petition scheme requires that all paper petitions require name, address and signature to be considered valid. Unfortunately, of these petitions, one did not record addresses and the others did not include signatures, making them invalid. However, due to the obvious local concern to the proposals, this is significant to the consultation.
All public consultation documents were uploaded onto the Kent County Council Consultations webpage and a dedicated email address created to handle responses.
Financial implications: Christy Holden, Head of Commissioning (Accommodation) Christy.holden@kent.gov.uk 03000 415356
Legal implications: 16/00008