Save Nelson Court Update

We were disappointed by the poor response from the Tory administration at the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Meeting last week on the Nelson Court care home.

Local businessman and blogger Jonathan Primett also attended the meeting and has blogged here about his experience. It is worth a read

This meeting was called by Labour as an opportunity to present alternative proposals, which would avoid the privatisation of three Medway care homes.

Cllr Vince Maple (pictured) spoke from the floor citing the poor consultation by the current administration

Cllr Tristan Osborne and Cllr Christine Godwin also addressed the meeting calling for alternate proposals to be considered. Alternatives included ideas such as the Co-operative or Local Authority Trading Company models, as showcased in other local authorities of all political affiliations.

However, at the meeting, the Conservatives remained closed to new ideas, and seemed resolute on limiting outside input, stymieing the chance to make the meeting a meaningful part of the decision process.

The chair, supported by his fellow Conservative members, insisted on the use of formal votes, and refused to allow any members of the public to speak. Interested councillors were also disallowed from speaking at the meeting.

Taking this closed approach was completely unacceptable, as the point of the meeting was to promote further discussion and help present new ideas.

Though the meeting was called by Labour to help offer a further opportunity for concerned service users, carers, families and staff to express their opinions, it seemed clear from the outset that these opinions would not be fairly listened to.

Cllr Teresa Murray, Medway Labour’s Spokesperson for Adult Health and Social Care said,

“The Tories showed how politically motivated and small minded they are by refusing to support our proposal for a pause in the tendering procedure to privatise the care homes and investigate alternative arms length staff-led models. This would enable the people who run the services to identify the key priorities and efficiencies, and keep the much loved specialist staff in place to maintain quality.”

“Even Tory led Essex County Council has done this successfully for it’s social care services, but Medway Tories are political dinosaurs who only want to contract out. They don’t want hard working social care staff in Medway to have a chance, although when we met staff they were keen to try.”

Nelson Court Privatised

Luton & Wayfield Councillor's and local businessman Jonathan Primett gathering signatures to oppose the Care Home closures

It is with great regret that Nelson Court Care Home was privatised by the Medway Cabinet last week.

We worked very hard with service users and with campaigners across the ward and beyond to safeguard this facility from a now uncertain future in the private sector.

Medway is on the verge of having no publicly owned care homes for people with extreme care requirements.

It is unacceptable that the most vulnerable have been made to suffer and we are standing by the staff, patients and local residents with an offer of support.

We will continue to stand up for the most vulnerable in our community.

Our Group press statement and submission on Care Home closures.

Chatham resident Robert Heathfield gathering signatures against Care Home Closures

Campaigning for Nelson Court

The ward team are supporting the campaign to safeguard services in Nelson Court on Nelson Road and other care facilities at Platters Farm, Robert Bean and the Balfour Centre unit.

Local campaigners and Councillors were at the Pentagon Centre yesterday collecting signatures to safeguard these facilities.

Please see below contributions from people living in the ward and those that use these facilities.

Jon Primett: Resident in Luton

Service users of the facilities

We will continue to stand up for these facilities.

Fighting for Nelson Court

Click to enlarge

Your Labour Councillor's are fighting to protect Nelson Court from Council cuts.

The publicly owned care home on Nelson Road is a very popular and much needed resource for dozens of care users, residents and their families.

We are very concerned about reasons for the closure of Nelson Court. We believe they are because the current administratin has allowed a black hole in the budget to the tune of £7.9m.

Adult Care Services are therefore being targeted for Conservative cuts to make the books add up.

Meanwhile Tories continue to overspend on capital projects including the Stoke Crossing, Chatham bus station and the Chatham one-way fiasco.

Please fight to save Nelson Court.

Save Nelson Court

The Luton & Wayfield team is working with local and cross-party campaigners to Save Nelson Court from Conservative cuts.

You can sign the petition to protect the service here.

Whilst the Tories can overspend by £5.1m on capital and revenue budgets it is simply unacceptable they have announced the closure of this centre for the vulnerable and elderly.

It is utterly unethical

Below from the website:

UPDATE FROM THE 29th NOVEMBER CABINET MEETING

At the cabinet meeting today Medway Conservative councillors were very keen to stress the benefits of privatisation, and seemed to think that the private sector could provide an identical service, with the same staff and staffing levels. As well as pay rent for the premises and make a profit.

They were also keen to stress that the 60-day consultation period would convince residents and relatives that there would be no adverse effects of privatising care. Under the new system the care homes would be allowed to take 'self funding' residents who would presumably be asked to pay a lot more than the council pays for supported care - we would like to know if the care homes would then be keen to take the challenging clients with high maintenance needs for the amount of council funding, when they could be making a nice profit instead.

Somehow this doesn't seem to be the real world!

Much was made of how residents could have more choice and more independence - given that these homes are for dementia patients, it is a bit pie in the sky to expect them to start taking responsibility for sorting out their own care and funding.

It should be remembered that many have outlived their families and friends and apart from the care home staff, who are their surrogate 'family' there is nobody to care what happens to them.

SAVE ELDERLY SERVICES

Elderly care, particularly dementia care, which is provided by Medway Council's own service centres is consistently graded as 'Excellent' by the care commission. We already have a shortage of beds in Medway for older people needing to go into care, and private providers naturally take those who are the 'easiest'. Not only do the council's own facilities provide a safety net for clients with high level needs (e.g. dementia patients using wheelchairs, or with cultural requirements such as a daily shower or special diet), but they also act as a benchmark of excellence against which prospective clients and their relatives can compare other homes.

Many elderly residents in our homes have no relatives living locally, but homes such as Nelson Court in Luton not only provide them with basic care but encourage activities and socialising, as well as a hairdresser and outings.

The council's own centres allow residents freedom of movement around the units and small 'quiet' rooms in which they can sit, or receive relatives and friends without having to use their bedrooms.

Relatives and friends are welcomed at any time and because working conditions are good there is a very low turnover of staff, so managers and carers get to know individual clients and their relatives so any problems can be dealt with quickly and amicably.

Added to this we should not forget the respite service which council homes offer, giving carers a much needed break and clients a chance to socialise. This respite also means that any medical conditions which have been overlooked are picked up and dealt with which eases the burden on home carers.

I would urge Medway Council to think very carefully before getting rid of the jewels in the crown in terms of elderly care!

To find out more, email maureen@savenelsoncourt.org.