Four homes for elderly face axe in care overhaul

Around 76 pensioners will have to be rehoused by the authority if the proposals get the green light from the council’s cabinet next week. Another 132 will see their day centre services end.

Amberton Court in Gipton, Burley Willows in Burley, Fairview in Seacroft and Musgrave Court in Pudsey are all facing the axe.

Manorfield House in Horsforth and Primrose Hill in Boston Spa are to stay open, after supporters led massive campaigns on behalf of both facilities. They will only stay open for existing residents, however, and there will be no new admissions.

Suffolk Court in Yeadon, meanwhile, could move to offering transitional care and eventually convert to a specialist ‘intermediate’ care centre.

Home Lea House in Rothwell will remain open as talks begin with interested community groups about a possible community takeover.

Social services bosses in Leeds had originally proposed closing eight of the city’s care homes as part of wider budget measures to try and claw back £51m in savings.

But after almost 14,000 people signed petitions against the plans, the authority has changed some of its proposals.

Campaigners have welcomed the reprieve for some, but said any closures would cause “huge disruption” to the lives of many people in their twilight years.

Councillor Adam Ogilvie, the council’s executive member for adult social care, insisted: “At the very heart of this review is the welfare of our older people.”

Coun Ogilvie added: “The entire process has been informed by working out what will be best for them in the face of having to make incredibly difficult decisions due to massive budget cuts.

“We have said all along that we would listen to and take account of views we heard – and we have,

“Where residents may have to move they will not be financially disadvantaged and every single person affected will have his or her own support team to ensure their needs are met, their own choice is exercised and the move is as smooth a possible.”

The closures, which could happen within two years, would eventually see three of the four targeted care homes demolished, the land put up for sale and any proceeds pumped back into the city’s social services budget. Burley Willows and its attached day centre would be used for the building of new extra care housing.

Severance and redeployment packages are already being drawn up for staff at all of the affected homes, but the council says there will be no compulsory redundancies.

The council says its increasingly crumbling stock of care homes and day centres needs a great deal of investment to bring it up to modern day standards – but the funding to upgrade them just isn’t available.

In Leeds, the council says the majority of care homes are already provided by he independent sector, and demand for council-run residential care is expected to fall.

Sandie Keene, Leeds City Council’s director of adult social services, said: “The reality is it will be £4m a year that the council doesn’t have to spend in the way it is doing now. We will continue providing care for people but at less costs.

“This is absolutely value for money in terms of being able to demonstrate that we can continue to support people but we are not spending money in upgrading (outdated) facilities,

“It is stopping the need to spend more money, as well as saving money.”

Campaigner Julia Chapman, who fought to save Manorfield House in Horsforth from closure, said she was “absolutely delighted”, but “sad for the residents and families of those homes that are closing”, many of whom faced “huge disruption” to their lives.

And Pudsey and Horsforth MP Stuart Andrew, who could see one care home in his constituency saved but the other axed, said: “I welcome the news that Manorfield is to remain open and I would like to congratulate the families of the residents on a hard-fought campaign.

“However, as Manorfield will not be permitted to admit any new residents, this highlights again that there are not sufficient alternatives within the Horsforth area and I look forward to seeing what Leeds City Council are planning to do in order to encourage more provision.

“I am very disappointed that Musgrave is to close and I urge the Executive Board to reconsider their decision.”