Care homes reprieved as status deal agreed

Following a four-month consultation, NHS Sheffield’s board agreed yesterday that Birch Avenue and Woodland View care homes should be re-commissioned as providers of care for people with dementia who have complex care needs and there should be transitional arrangements to cover current residents who do not have such needs.

The recommendation means that, subject to the successful negotiation of contracts, none of the 100 current residents of the two homes will have to move elsewhere, a concern residents and their family and friends voiced as one of their biggest worries.

The consultation was launched after the NHS Sheffield board agreed in principle in January to the removal of £2.8m “top-up” funding the homes were receiving because it was not deemed value for money. It revealed the homes were not just offering standard levels of care, for which they were paid the standard contract rate, but were also providing enhanced care for some residents, suited to people with dementia who have complex care needs.

It also showed that stopping the funding would not provide a £2.8m saving because the true value of care was higher and there would also be the costs of moving residents to alternative homes and possible staff redundancies.

A lead clinician for NHS Sheffield, GP Dr Richard Oliver, said: “The decision to seek to re-commission the homes as providers of enhanced care is great news for the city. With an ageing population it’s more important than ever that we get the care we provide for older people right.”