Adult social care changes a ‘massive shock’ for family of Purley pensioner with mixed dementia

Residents have reacted to West Berkshire Council’s proposal to outsource three of its adult social care centres to an external provider.

It expects the decision to generate £469,000 in annual budget savings.

But some residents are concerned about their relatives who rely on these services, many elderly or those with learning difficulties.

Shirley Andrews, 88, from Purley, suffers from mixed dementia and has visited Greenfield House in Calcot for the past two years.

Her family said she has hugely benefitted from the activities and support she receives. But last week they found out this could all change.

“It's been a really upsetting to find this out,” her daughter-in-law, who lives opposite Mrs Andrews, told newburytoday.

“We help with all her care needs. We want to fight and get as many people on board with this.”

The family said they currently pay £62.56 a week for Mrs Andrews to attend the day centre, plus £32.50 a week for her meals and £37.50 to transport her to and from the venue — totalling £530.24 a month.

Her family added that without the centre’s support, Mrs Andrews may have to move into a care home.

Her daughter-in-law, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “It's a massive thing. It's her routine.

“When it comes to the weekends, her mood will go down because all she'll be focusing on is the day care centre.

“She can't wait to get back to the day care centre and Sunday will be where she perks up a little bit. It keeps her safe and it's good for her mental health.

“It's also a respite for us as a family that she's there Monday to Friday because we have children ourselves with special needs.

“If she didn't go there, we would possibly be looking at a care home, which is not what she or we would want as a family.”

A letter from the council told the family it was withdrawing its day services “due to significant financial pressures” and it would be shortly convening a project team to engage with external providers on how to continue this provision.

West Berkshire’s executive member for adult social care and public health Patrick Clark (Lib Dems, Newbury Wash Common) explained: “This has been a difficult decision for the council, but we find ourselves in exceptional circumstances.

“Our priority remains ensuring that service users receive the care and support they need.

“On that basis, this will be a phased process to allow time for us to speak to all of our services users and their families and carers to get a clear picture of their needs and how these will be met in the future.

“We will engage with providers of day services to explore future delivery models. These conversations will shape the offer from providers.

“Throughout this process we are committed to ensuring continuity of support for all individuals, and we will also provide the necessary support to our staff during this transition.”

Newburytoday understands Greenfield House currently remains open.

The other two centres are Hungerford Resource Centre and the Phoenix Resource Centre in Newbury.