ePetition details
Save Nottingham's Adult Day Centres From Closure
We the undersigned petition the council to 1) reverse the decision to close any and all Adult Day Centres in Nottingham, in the face of the obvious public opposition to these proposals and in prioritising the welfare and wellbeing of their service users; and 2) seek budgetary savings away from the Adult Social Care budget, and fully fund Adult Social Care to protect society’s most vulnerable.
Nottingham City Council has earmarked an Adult Day Centre in Nottingham (specifically, Summerwood Day Centre in Clifton) to close as part of its current budget saving plans. It is our belief that this is a severe mistake on the part of the Council, and that they will be targeting those in society who are most vulnerable. It is our belief that the Adult Day Centres provide invaluable care to those in need, provide much needed support to the parents and guardians of the service users, and prevent service users needing residential care that would be an even greater cost to the Council. It is our belief that the Council has a responsibility to fund these services as a priority, and should seek cost-cutting measures elsewhere in their budget.
Started by: Lorraine Spencer
This ePetition ran from 24/02/2021 to 08/03/2021 and has now finished.
621 people signed this ePetition.
Council response
I would like to thank you for the petition on behalf of citizens, families and residents of Clifton, which was presented to the City Council on Monday 8 March 2021. In accordance with the Council’s procedures, I am writing to provide a formal response to the petition.
In October last year, the Council agreed to review the day services provision, consolidating day services for citizens with physical, sensory and learning disabilities, including the closure of one day centre. Unfortunately, the Council's day service provision currently operates at overcapacity and, despite our best efforts, we are no longer able to sustain the pressure this exerts on our services.
We do not approach this decision lightly and absolutely appreciate the deep sense of feeling that service users have around access to provision, which is why we have committed to engaging with them as part of this process. Whilst being aware of the changing needs of our citizens, we wanted to gather information and intelligence on the current services, and in particular, if they would be able to meet future service demands and what we may need to do to develop and invest in ‘pathway’ services that are fit for the future.
In the last five years, attendance at our Learning Disability day services has been decreasing and the Council is proposing a reduction in its day centre buildings to ensure efficient use of budgets whilst still providing the same, high quality day service provision, from its remaining establishments. As Summerwood is the smallest of the three learning disability services, with limited and older facilities, it is proposed for closure. The remaining two learning disabled day centres are not being considered for closure as these services have undergone significant refurbishment and have modern facilities in place. The remaining two sites also have the ability to respond to an increase in demand should the need arise.
The proposal to close Summerwood is currently open for public consultation, which runs for 45 days from 12 February 2021 until 28 March 2021. The points raised in your petition will now be considered alongside the feedback we have received through the Have Your Say portal and public consultation meetings. Once the consultation closes, I will be reviewing the findings. A decision on the outcome will be announced during the week commencing 5 April 2021 and families will be notified by post shortly after this.
We have greatly appreciated the feedback from families and the local community in support of the service and the citizens attending the Summerwood Day Centre. Any decision to change our services are always considered carefully and we remain committed to supporting the needs of the Learning Disabled community of Nottingham City. Should the decision to close Summerwood go ahead, those who currently attend the day centre, will continue to have access to day centre provision, as well as maintaining the consistency of the relationship with their care worker, friendship groups and activity plans. I do not underestimate the impact of change, but through our exceptional staff cohort, I am confident that even in the most complex of cases, service users will continue to feel supported in the same way that they are at Summerwood, as well as being assessed for assistance with travel costs where appropriate.
Yours sincerely,
Adele Williams
Labour Councillor for Sherwood
Portfolio Holder for Adults and Local Transport