Posted: Wed 7th Oct 2015

Future of Wrexham Care Home Decided Next Week

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Oct 7th, 2015

The future of Wrexham’s final council owned care home hangs in the balance, with a decision to potentially close the facility due to take place next week.

Nant Silyn, which is located on Pont Wen is the only council owned residential care home in Wrexham, after a decision was made in 2006 for Wrexham Council to ‘cease its involvement in the direct provision of residential care for older people, including EMH Services’

The care home has 29 beds and currently has only seven permanent residents. Beds have also been used for respite care purposes. At present there are two service users who regularly use the respite care beds and a further six service users who make occasional use of the respite care beds.

However in a report due to go before the Executive Board on Tuesday 10th October it has been recommended that the care home is decommissioned and £197,136 ‘released’ from the care home is reinvested into the ‘development of respite care services and community based preventative services for Older People and their carers in Wrexham’.

Speaking about the decision to close the care home, the report due to Executive Board next week states: “Nant Silyn is no longer required as a long term care or respite care facility and decommissioning is now required to release resources to reinvest in respite services and community based preventative services for Older People that better meets their current and expected needs and those of their carers.

“The needs of our population have changed and should be addressed according to the views of Older People. The needs of the Residents and Service Users who use Nant Silyn can be met by alternative service providers and the concerns and anxieties expressed during the consultation period can be overcome through careful and sensitive transition planning.”

The proposed decommissioning of the care home was announced in July 2015, with the facility described as being ‘no longer financially viable’. Following on from the meeting a consultation with residents , service users, their families/carers and staff commenced.

Details within the Executive Board report note that the consultation has generated a ‘high level of interest’ and consisted of written communication (letters, fact sheets and questionnaires) with service users, their families and carers – along with meetings with the Head of Service for Older People and Commissioning Manager

The document continues onto say: “Any transition to a new service provider could be supported by ensuring all of the Service User’s records are person centred, sufficiently detailed and up to date. It would also be possible for staff from Nant Silyn to follow Service Users into the new services to shadow care staff to provide initial continuity of care and ensure a smooth hand over to a new provider.

“Any transition period would be managed carefully and sensitively to reduce any negative impact for Service Users and their families/carers. If the recommendations in the report are approved there would be further consultation on transition arrangements.”

Speaking about the proposed closure of Nant Silyn, Cllr Lowe said: “As a council we are not able to provide nursing care. As a council we can only provide basic residential care.

“There is no longer a need for it , but there is a need for us to put more money into preventative services. This is what people have told us when we have done consultation with older people, this is what they want.”

Proposals to decommission Wrexham’s last Council owned care home has faced strong opposition from local campaigners and politicians – with Plaid Cymru Candidate for the Welsh Assembly Elections, Carrie Harper branding the decision as ‘flawed’

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has also recently stated that Wrexham Council should ‘widen its consultation’ of the care home – and this morning received a petition from relatives opposing closure of Nant Silyn as pictured above.

Cllr Lowe stressed “We must not prejudge the Executive Board’s decision” when queried over closure dates, however Wrexham.com notes it is very rare for a recommendation to the Executive Board to be voted down with it being asked to give ‘approval for Adult Social Care to decommission the services currently provided from Nant Silyn’

The Nant Silyn report will go before Wrexham Council’s Executive Board next Tuesday at 10am. For those who can’t attend the meeting it is anticipated it will be webcast live on the Wrexham Council website.



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