Opposition councillors are unconvinced by Gloucestershire County Council’s promise to consult on the imminent closure of four council-owned care homes.
The council has approved a six-week consultation period prior to making a final decision on the closure of Westbury Court in Westbury-on-Severn, Bohanam House in Gloucester, Orchard House, Bishop's Cleeve, and The Elms in Stonehouse, this coming June. All four homes are currently operated by The Orders of St John Care Trust.
Gloucestershire CC insists that the proposed closures come after a period of engagement with the local private care market. It points to a sustained loss of income both from public funds and from private residents, which it says makes the homes no longer financially viable.
However, opposition councillors fear that the closures will happen regardless of the consultation and accuse the council of having already made its decision. When the results of the six-week consultation are produced, councillors have called upon Gloucestershire CC to ‘prove’ that they have given them their correct weight.
Kingsholm and Wotton councillor Jeremy Hilton said: “We already know that this has caused a lot of distress for residents and family members of those residing in these centres of care and the cabinet report shared today will have done little to clarify matters, with a lack of analysis and little information to show why these homes are identified for closure.
“There is a high degree of concern that consultations on such matters are done deals, with the County Council already set on closing all four of these homes. In order to prove that they are truly listening, we must see a comprehensive report on the conclusion of this consultation and the administration must prove that they are acting on the feedback received.”
Defending its proposals, the council points to a steady decline in the demand for care home beds over the past five years in the Gloucestershire area. It says this reflects a desire for elderly people to stay at home with the support of visiting care, rather than make the transition to residential care.
According to council leader Mark Hawthorne: “We understand that residents in the homes and their families may feel concerned about the proposals being considered and that is why they will be given the opportunity to have their say before a final decision is taken by cabinet in June.
“There will of course always be a need for residential care for those who need long term care and the changes that are being proposed will help ensure they receive this in facilities that are flexible enough to adapt as needs of an individual change and develop.”
