'We can save these care homes': Lancashire councillor pushes for rescue plan for threatened facilities

That is the call from the authority’s main opposition leader, Azhar Ali, who has made a direct appeal to county council leader Stephen Atkinson to rethink a controversial review of the facilities, which was launched last month after the buildings - in Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, West Lancashire and Wyre - were deemed to be in "significantly poor condition”.

A public consultation is currently being carried out into five residential homes and five day services ahead of their possible “reprovision” next year - a process that could result in a range of outcomes, including closure.

That threat has sparked concern amongst residents, users and their families - and has led to petitions being created across the county, attracting thousands of signatures.

The Reform UK-run authority insists no final decisions have been made and, at a meeting of its health and adult services scrutiny committee last week, it emerged that the quality of care would be one of the factors taken into account when determining whether or not the facilities remain open.

However, County Cllr Ali has now written to County Cllr Atkinson warning that the review in its current form risks leading to "a tragic loss of lives".

He has formally called for a halt to it - and for a cross-party group instead to be established to explore drawing up an "investment plan” for each building, based on the "essential and desirable" repairs that would need to be carried out over the next three years.

Asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) whether the starting point for that process should be a presumption that the county council would continue running the services, he agreed - and said the focus must be on "how we can save them”.

The Progressive Lancashire alliance group leader also claimed the care homes could be “privatised” if the county council walked away from them.

“I've got private sector companies ringing me up saying [they want] to buy them - so if they can invest, why can’t Lancashire County Council do that?

“I’ve been to visit four of the care homes now and I don't think there's anything major wrong with them, structurally. Some of them have had quite a lot of investment - Favordale [in Colne] has had a new commercial kitchen, some new bathrooms [and] modern technology [installed].

“And the quality of care is exceptional. [Some of] the families…have been to the private sector and then they've come [to the county council-run homes], because they know that the staff are dedicated and look after their loved ones,” County Cllr Ali said.

He added that he was awaiting a requested breakdown of how much money had been spent on each of the facilities in recent years.

Last week’s scrutiny meeting heard that it had been almost five years since condition surveys were undertaken on the buildings - with new assessments having now been ordered to ensure the review process is considering the most up-to-date information.

However, the county council’s director of operations for adult social care, John Williams, told the committee that the age of several of the buildings - five of which date back to the 1960s - meant that they were designed for a different era. He said that the lifts in some of the homes were too small to transport residents in a bed – meaning they would have to be taken down the stairs, should they need an ambulance.

An initial estimate - based on the 2021 condition surveys - suggests the bill for essential repairs to the buildings, combined with work to bring them closer to the standard of modern facilities, would total almost £6.5m.

In response to the issues raised in County Cllr Ali’s letter, cabinet member for adult social care Graham Dalton told the LDRS: "We fully understand how important these services are to local communities and the strength of feeling about their future.

"The public consultation is an eight-week process and is open until Friday 12th December - and we encourage everyone to share their views.

"A further scrutiny committee is then planned for January before the issue is discussed by cabinet in February.

"No decisions have been made - and it will be for cabinet to decide any further steps."

County Cllr Dalton last week advised those with direct experience of the facilities under review to “be emotional” in their response to the consultation and tell personal stories of what staff have done for their loved ones - because that will “affect how the cabinet look at [the issue]”.

The care homes being reviewed are: Favordale (Colne), Grove House (Adlington), Milbanke (Kirkham), Thornton House (Thornton Cleveleys) and Woodlands (Clayton-le-Moors). They have a combined capacity to accommodate 229 people, roughly 45 at each location, with all bar Milbanke currently being at least 89 percent full.

Meanwhile, the operational day centres – Derby Centre (Ormskirk), Milbanke Day Centre (Kirkham, attached to Milbanke care home) and Vale View (Lancaster) – are at less than 60 percent capacity. Byron View (Colne, attached to Favordale) and Teal Close, (Thornton Cleveleys, attached to Thornton House) are not currently operating after what were intended as temporary closures initiated at the onset of the pandemic.

‘They saved my auntie’s life’

The niece of a woman who lives at Grove House in Adlington says her aunt would not still be alive if it weren’t for the care and compassion she has received there.

Seventy-seven-year-old Kathleen moved into the facility last year after the death of her husband. She is suffering from dementia and, at one stage, was on end-of-life care as it was thought she “really hadn't got long left”, her niece Jennie Lawrenson explained.

“But they worked that hard on her, persevering with her, and making sure she took her medication - which can be a struggle, to say the least - that she rallied.

“They are very gentle with her - so she'll keep saying, ‘Give me 10 more minutes [in bed]’, and they will keep going back. Once she's up, she's fine, but getting her out of bed is a nightmare - it’s not her fault, but I don’t know how the carers do it,” Jennie said.

While Kathleen takes comfort from visits from her family, Jennie believes that she has now formed an even stronger bond with the Grove House staff who look after her around the clock - one that she says it would be “cruel” to break should the home close.

“The carers know [the residents] and their ways. [Even as she is] my auntie has made friends with them - she feels comfortable and they gel.”

Jennie also says the open-door visiting policy at Grove House means that relatives see a true reflection of the way their loved ones are being cared for.

“You can visit at any time except meal times - so this is us seeing it as it is. They're not putting airs and graces on just for an hour of visiting.

“And if we didn't feel that my auntie was being looked after well, we'd be pushing to get her out, don't you worry. But there’s just a lovely feeling in there,” Jennie added.

While she is hoping that this Christmas is not the last that the Grove House “community” shares together, Jennie is fundraising to ensure that it is “the best one ever” - and using the opportunity to spread the message that the facility should be saved.

“This isn’t political - it’s just a positive campaign to keep the home open,” she said.

Jennie is aiming to raise £1,100 to fund entertainment and other festive treats over the Christmas period. So far, £800 has been donated.