Have your say on how care is provided at Newington Court

Closed 18 Dec 2020

Opened 10 Nov 2020

Contact

Caroline Moyes

(Housing Support Solutions Project Manager)

07701 394 642

caroline.moyes@eastsussex.gov.uk

Results updated 18 Jan 2021

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their feedback on our proposal to change how care is provided at Newington Court. We would like to acknowledge how hard this is for residents, particularly as many of them have lived at Newington Court for a long time and consider it their forever home.

For us, the issue remains that keeping Newington Court as an extra care scheme does not represent an effective or sustainable use of vital Council funds. As a result, our recommendation to the Lead Member will be that we go ahead with the proposal to change Newington Court to a ‘Housing with Care’ scheme.

We know this will be disappointing news, but we would like to reassure people that if the proposal is agreed we would work closely with residents to explore their options.

The agenda and papers for the meeting, including our recommendations, the consultation report and the Equality Impact Assessment, are available to the public on our website. In addition, the Lead Member will have access to the full responses to the consultation.

Consultation results summary

  • 45 responses to the consultation were received across the feedback form, other feedback methods and the meeting with staff.
  • The biggest group of respondents was staff working at Newington Court (21 responses), followed by family members and friends of residents (13 responses), and residents themselves (9 responses).
  • During the consultation we also had enquiries on behalf of three people who were interested in moving into Newington Court if the scheme’s eligibility criteria changed in future.

It’s clear from the responses that people are very concerned about the proposal and how it will affect them or their loved one. There is a lot of mistrust of the Council and people dispute whether we have promoted the scheme properly. Some people raise concerns that potential residents have been turned away from the scheme.

The on-site care team was a big reason for choosing the scheme for people. Respondents worry about the impact of the removal of that support, particularly at night, and how it will affect the health and wellbeing of residents, and the delivery of care services. People fear that residents will be forced to move from their homes to get the care they need if the proposal goes ahead.

Some of the key themes raised in the consultation include:

  • Views: Respondents are concerned about the proposal to change how care is provided at Newington Court and the impact it will have on people living there (8 comments).
  • Allocations: People say that they know of eligible people who have been turned away or placed in other extra care schemes locally (11 comments). People feel that the scheme has been badly promoted or not promoted at all (9 comments), with some also saying that it has been run down on purpose (7 comments).
  • Impact: People say they may, or would, have to move from the scheme if the proposal went ahead (12 comments). Some are clear they don’t want to do this and would prefer to stay where they are happy (7 comments).
  • Impact: A lot of respondents talk about the impact on people’s health and wellbeing if they couldn’t get their needs met (10 comments).
  • Night support: People are particularly concerned and worried about the on-site night support being removed (11 comments) and how this would affect people and the delivery of their care (6 comments).

The full report contains a longer summary and detailed appendices - download a copy below.

Files:

Overview

We are consulting with residents and stakeholders on changes to the way that care is provided at Newington Court in Ticehurst. The changes should help us to reduce the number of vacant flats at the scheme and limit financial losses.

It would mean some changes to how people are supported at the service, so we want to know what residents and their families think about the proposals and how they will be affected. We are also keen to hear from local partners and organisations with an interest.  

How to take part

The consultation runs for 6 weeks, closing on 18 December. You can share your views on our proposal by:

  • Completing the short online feedback form (see link below)
  • Emailing your feedback to us (see details to the right)
  • Requesting a postal version of the survey (see details to the right for how to contact us)
  • Arranging a time to speak to us over the phone (see details to the right for how to contact us)

If you need this information in another format or language please contact us. You can also get in touch if you need help to take part in the consultation.

Why we are consulting

For a number of years, we have found it more and more difficult to attract new residents with eligible care needs to Newington Court. This means properties are left empty and there are not enough people needing care to justify the 24/7 care team.

The current environment is reported to feel empty and not as vibrant as it once was due to the persistent level of vacancies. The reduced number of residents has also led to financial losses for us and the landlord.

We are proposing to change the way care is provided at Newington Court from an Extra Care scheme, with a 24/7 on-site care team, to a ‘Housing with Care’ scheme, as follows:

  • Care would be provided by carers who visit the scheme only for scheduled care calls during the day. If you already receive care during the day, this would continue.
  • Many residents currently have daytime care visits, so carers are expected to be at Newington Court for much of the day.
  • There would, however, be an additional cost of £2.75 per week to contribute towards the emergency Lifeline service, which would be introduced to support residents during an emergency.  ESCC is proposing to cover this cost for all residents for an initial 12 months, and then to review this annually.

Emergency calls through the pull-cord system would go through to Optivo’s commissioned Lifeline service (Welbeing). They would support you, connect you to an emergency service, if this was required, and contact your next of kin to let them know.

We are proposing to pay for some additional on-site support if the proposals were agreed. This could offer residents support with speaking to a GP, ringing Adult Social Care, or providing a regular on-site activity – these are just some examples. We would like to understand the views of residents on what additional daytime support may be needed or desirable.

The residents of Newington Court have all received a letter about the consultation and a copy of the Frequently Asked Questions. We will be working with the landlord to ensure they can all take part in the consultation.

What happens next?
A decision will be made on whether to change how care is provided at Newington Court in January 2021. The Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Health will consider the consultation results and Equality Impact Assessment when making his decision.

Residents at Newington Court will be informed of the decision either way in January. If the proposal was agreed the service would change to a Housing with Care scheme from November 2021. This would give us plenty of time to review residents’ care needs and discuss their options with them. 

Privacy information: This survey is anonymous and we don't ask you to provide any personal information. Please ensure that any comments you provide don't include any names or personal details of you or anyone else. More information about how your data will be stored and processed can be found in the privacy notice.

Areas

  • Rother

Audiences

  • Community groups or organisations
  • Public sector groups or organisations
  • Providers of services
  • People who use our services

Interests

  • Care and support services (adults)
  • Housing