Agenda item

Resolved: to refer the Committee’s views to Mayor and Cabinet as follows- The Committee recommends that Mayor and Cabinet give particular consideration to the recommendations made in the Healthwatch consultation report.

7.1      Jeff Endean (Housing Strategy and Programmes Manager) and Heather Hughes (Joint Commissioner) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

• The Committee had considered two previous reports about the Kenton Court and Somerville Extra Care schemes.
• 200 Extra Care places were being created in the borough.
• The existing Extra Care schemes at Kenton Court and Somerville were not up to standard and appropriate care could not be provided to vulnerable residents.
• Formal consultation had been carried out with residents at both schemes.
• At the beginning of the consultation there were 31 residents living across both schemes.
• A number had moved to alternative facilities, 18 remained on site. Eight had chosen not to engage in the consultation and were waiting for a decision to be taken. Four were simply waiting for a decision and four residents in Somerville were unhappy about the proposed closure.
• It was recognised that the length of the consultation might have been unsettling for some residents, but it was felt that it was important to ensure the consultation was thorough.
• An independent advocate had been appointed to work with residents. A report into their findings had been produced.
• As numbers of people living in the two schemes had reduced, the less viable they became.
• Social workers did not refer people to live in Kenton Court and Somerville, because it was recognised that they were not fit for purpose.

7.2      In response to questions from the Committee, Genevieve Macklin (Head of Strategic Housing) Jeff Endean (Housing Strategy and Programmes Manager) and Heather Hughes (Adult Social Care Manager) made the following key points:

• A great deal of effort had gone into engaging with residents and their relatives sensitively. Despite this some of the residents, or their relatives, had chosen not to engage in the consultation process.
• As the numbers of residents reduced the schemes became less viable, and the costs of keeping them open increased.
• There was a risk to the Council of allowing people to remain in these two schemes because the buildings were not fit for purpose.
• It was hoped that once a decision had been taken, residents and their relatives would be open to working with the Council.
• At the Conrad Court Extra Care scheme, there were a minimum of four staff members at any one time for the 54 residents.
• The level of staffing was not fixed – it was dependent on the assessed care needs of each resident.
• The Kenton Court and Somerville Extra Care schemes had been overstaffed because there were few residents living in those properties. The cost of this provision was unsustainable.
• Conrad Court had a ‘stay put’ fire policy in place, which had been agreed with the London Fire Brigade.
• In the event of a fire, evacuation would not necessarily be required because the building had fire containment systems in place.
• There was concern about the security at Kenton Court. Overnight staffing would be maintained on site.
• It was recognised that the consultation was complex and sensitive – nonetheless, officers had attempted to work with the input of relatives to ensure the best outcome for residents.
• Once a decision had been taken about the site, officers would work with residents and their relatives, efforts would be made to avoid issuing eviction notices.

7.3      The Committee also discussed the Healthwatch report and made the following key points:

• Concern about the amount of time it had taken to bring the proposals forward.
• The troubling language in the Healthwatch report, which noted that the consultation process had been unsettling for residents and their carers.
• That in making its decision, Mayor and Cabinet should give particular attention to the recommendations in the Healthwatch report.
• That officers should commit to learning from this consultation, in order to improve consultations with vulnerable residents in future.

Resolved: to refer the Committee’s views to Mayor and Cabinet as follows- The Committee recommends that Mayor and Cabinet give particular consideration to the recommendations made in the Healthwatch consultation report.