Angry relatives of vulnerable residents have vowed to step up their campaign to fight care home closure plans in Llanelli. If the County Council plans to shut both Caemaen and St Paul 's Residential Care Homes go ahead, over 50 elderly vulnerable people will face eviction from their homes, and even more jobs will be lost in the area.
Carmarthenshire County Council announced draft plans to shut four Care Homes in Carmarthenshire back in November, as part of their ten year plan to finance new home care services in the area.
In the latest public meeting held on Friday, angry campaigners once again raised their concerns, and it was agreed that advocates for the Residents will be arranged. The Caemaen and St Paul ’s Groups also agreed to merge into one Action Committee in order to focus more effectively.
Myfanwy and Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones have supported campaigners in drafting letters which will be be sent to various Councillors from members of the Groups in the next few days. Helen Mary will also be meeting with the Health Minister Edwina Hart and the Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas this week to discuss the issue.
Many of the resident's relatives are very worried about the serious effects a move could have on the health of their loved ones. This is referred to as ‘Transfer Trauma’ and it is estimated that at least 30% of people moved from one home to another die within one year.
Deryk Cundy, whose father is cared for at Caemaen Residential Care Home said:
"We are determined to fight these outrageous plans to close Caemaen and St Pauls. This is yet another example of our vulnerable elderly suffering as a result of the Council's efforts to save money. How would you feel if you were to be evicted for paying your rent?
Already the Council are changing the functionality of Llys Y Bryn, behind the Councillor's backs, by replacing Residential Care Places with 12 Convalescence Beds and moving 7 Respite Beds that were there to St Pauls. This is in effect reducing the Residential Care places by another 19 places - theft by stealth. The Council are trying to sell off the "family silver" - the Care Homes that we are going to need in the future.
Even according to the Council figures, in 6 years we will have another 10% of the elderly needing Care places - in Llanelli that means an extra 103 places - if we close our Care Homes in Llanelli alone we will be short of 162 places in 2016 with potentially disastrous results for our whole community.
I believe that everyone should have the right to high levels of care and safety, now and in the future, for me, you, your families and your friends. The people we are trying to protect here are the vulnerable, dependant people who cannot look after themselves.
We have some superb Local Authority Homes with caring staff providing the care that is rare in today's world. Care that we can rely on to provide the safe environment that the elderly in our community need and have every right to expect. Why should we let this be stolen from us ?"
Local AM Helen Mary Jones said:
"The council needs to look at a more creative way of saving money rather than reducing the service that the elderly and vulnerable depend on. Llanelli needs to be a place where people are not frightened to get old, knowing that they will be welcomed and cared for in the future. I’ll be meeting the Health Minister as well as the Deputy Minister for Social Services this week to discuss what support the Welsh Assembly Government could offer with regards to the issue.”
Myfanwy Davies, Plaid's Parliamentary Candidate for Llanelli added:
“Moving older people from their homes is distressing and some may not survive a
move. Our older people will not be sacrificed to the Council's half baked ideas about privatisation and the Council don't even know the cost of the new programmes."
Showing posts with label residential homes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label residential homes. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Helen Mary and Myfanwy pleased as plans to shut care homes are shelved
Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones and Plaid's Parliamentary candidate for Llanelli Myfanwy Davies have expressed their delight that council plans to close Caemaen and St Paul’s residential homes in Llanelli have been shelved. Both Helen Mary and Myfanwy last week pledged their to support an action group that has been fighting hard against these closure plans.
The County Council had wanted to close the residential homes in order to finance new home care services but the plans made no provision for care while those services were being delivered and had no detail of the costs or savings to be made. The plans contained no detail about where residents who were too frail for home care would be housed , but officers’ remarks about empty beds in private care homes raised residents fears that they would be sent out of Council care.
Myfanwy travelled to Carmarthen in a convoy of two buses of protesters from Caemaen home yesterday and helped lobby councillors as they arrived for the meeting of the County Council’s Scrutiny Committee. During the meeting, members of the Plaid Cymru group time and again drew attention to the weakness of the report and warned about privatising care by stealth. To the protesters delight, the Plaid group insisted on a vote to reject the plans as they stand. However, a task and finish group will be convened to examine the plans in detail.
Plaid’s Helen Mary Jones said:
"I’m very pleased indeed that the Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee has rejected the proposal to shut St Paul’s and Caemaen. I am concerned however that the discussions of the task and finish group around the future of social care in Carmarthenshire should not end up coming to the same conclusions but behind closed doors.
There has been a great campaign in the community to support the care that’s being provided at Caemaen and St Paul’s, and both Myfanwy and I have been fully supportive of the hard work that's been going on. I will continue to support those campaigning to keep this provision available for the people who want it and need it.”
Myfanwy added:
“The Council’s plans were ill-conceived and it was quite right for the Plaid members of the scrutiny committee to reject them on those grounds. It is entirely wrong to make savings at the expense of our most vulnerable people but it seems the Council had not even calculated the costs and had not considered how residents would be cared for while the new accommodation was built.
Moving older people from their homes is distressing and some may not survive a move. I am very pleased that we have been able to win the first battle in this war. Our older people will not be sacrificed to the Council’s half-baked ideas about privatisation. "
The County Council had wanted to close the residential homes in order to finance new home care services but the plans made no provision for care while those services were being delivered and had no detail of the costs or savings to be made. The plans contained no detail about where residents who were too frail for home care would be housed , but officers’ remarks about empty beds in private care homes raised residents fears that they would be sent out of Council care.
Myfanwy travelled to Carmarthen in a convoy of two buses of protesters from Caemaen home yesterday and helped lobby councillors as they arrived for the meeting of the County Council’s Scrutiny Committee. During the meeting, members of the Plaid Cymru group time and again drew attention to the weakness of the report and warned about privatising care by stealth. To the protesters delight, the Plaid group insisted on a vote to reject the plans as they stand. However, a task and finish group will be convened to examine the plans in detail.
Plaid’s Helen Mary Jones said:
"I’m very pleased indeed that the Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee has rejected the proposal to shut St Paul’s and Caemaen. I am concerned however that the discussions of the task and finish group around the future of social care in Carmarthenshire should not end up coming to the same conclusions but behind closed doors.
There has been a great campaign in the community to support the care that’s being provided at Caemaen and St Paul’s, and both Myfanwy and I have been fully supportive of the hard work that's been going on. I will continue to support those campaigning to keep this provision available for the people who want it and need it.”
Myfanwy added:
“The Council’s plans were ill-conceived and it was quite right for the Plaid members of the scrutiny committee to reject them on those grounds. It is entirely wrong to make savings at the expense of our most vulnerable people but it seems the Council had not even calculated the costs and had not considered how residents would be cared for while the new accommodation was built.
Moving older people from their homes is distressing and some may not survive a move. I am very pleased that we have been able to win the first battle in this war. Our older people will not be sacrificed to the Council’s half-baked ideas about privatisation. "
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Helen Mary and Myfanwy slam fake consulation on Council’s plan for Llanelli's older people
Following a packed meeting at Caemaen Residential Homes last night, Helen Mary Jones AM and Plaid Westminster candidate Myfanwy Davies, have condemned the way in which the consultation has been conducted by officers and demanded that Pat Jones, the executive member in charge of social care take responsibility for her decision and the conduct of the consultation.
Last week the Llanelli Star reported on council plans to close Caemaen and St Pauls’ residential homes in Llanelli. Responding to this news, Myfanwy and Helen Mary sought and received a reassurance from Bruce McLearnon, Carmarthen’s Director of Social Services who claimed in a letter, that all options were open and that no decision had yet been made on closing the homes.
Nonetheless, yesterday evening Bruce McLearnon supported by Sheila Porter as Director of Integrated Services, affirmed that his preferred plan was for the closure of Caemaen and the development of support services at home known as ‘extra care’. Ms Porter, who was recently employed by the County and who had developed “extra care’ programmes in Bromley vociferously supported his position many times silencing residents and their families in order to advocate this contentious model of care which is associated with failure in England.
Throughout the meeting, the Director also emphasised the need to cut costs as a primary motivator for the plan. Residents and families at the packed meeting were vigorously opposed to closure with residents making a unanimous show of hands in support of staying at Caemaen.
Plaid’s Helen Mary Jones said:
“Myfanwy and I had been assured that all options were open. It is clear that they are not insofar as Carmarthen Council is concerned and it is also clear that these decisions are being made for financial reasons. Yes, there is less money available and some of those MPs who voted to bail out the banks need to look carefully at their consciences now, but Carmarthen Council still finds funds for showcase projects and for its own publicity.”
“It is unacceptable that officials have sought to mislead families and residents by suggesting that Caemaen contravenes care standards by not having en-suite facilities. That is not the case. During the meeting, officials sought to suggest their plans were in some way intended to protect older people’s dignity. Those residents present made their views known by a unanimous show of hands, how much dignity does it afford any of us that their wished are denied?”
Myfanwy added:
“After receiving assurances from Mr McLearnon, Helen Mary and I went to the meeting with open minds. It is now clear that Carmarthen Council’s mind is already made up. Indeed when residents and families asked whether their opposition had made any difference at all to the Director’s view, he replied that it had not. That in itself is shocking proof of the need for Burry Port Labour Councillor Pat Jones, the lead on Social Care to stand up and take political responsibility for her decision and the conduct of her officers.”
“In general, I would support plans that keep people at home and independent where that are properly supported but there are sadly few examples of these plans working. We heard last night how residents in Caemaen had not been able to stay at home with existing home care support and had in some cases suffered serious neglect within home care. It is just not acceptable that older people should be moved against their will”.
Myfanwy and Helen Mary have pledged to support an action group that will fight these closure plans.
Last week the Llanelli Star reported on council plans to close Caemaen and St Pauls’ residential homes in Llanelli. Responding to this news, Myfanwy and Helen Mary sought and received a reassurance from Bruce McLearnon, Carmarthen’s Director of Social Services who claimed in a letter, that all options were open and that no decision had yet been made on closing the homes.
Nonetheless, yesterday evening Bruce McLearnon supported by Sheila Porter as Director of Integrated Services, affirmed that his preferred plan was for the closure of Caemaen and the development of support services at home known as ‘extra care’. Ms Porter, who was recently employed by the County and who had developed “extra care’ programmes in Bromley vociferously supported his position many times silencing residents and their families in order to advocate this contentious model of care which is associated with failure in England.
Throughout the meeting, the Director also emphasised the need to cut costs as a primary motivator for the plan. Residents and families at the packed meeting were vigorously opposed to closure with residents making a unanimous show of hands in support of staying at Caemaen.
Plaid’s Helen Mary Jones said:
“Myfanwy and I had been assured that all options were open. It is clear that they are not insofar as Carmarthen Council is concerned and it is also clear that these decisions are being made for financial reasons. Yes, there is less money available and some of those MPs who voted to bail out the banks need to look carefully at their consciences now, but Carmarthen Council still finds funds for showcase projects and for its own publicity.”
“It is unacceptable that officials have sought to mislead families and residents by suggesting that Caemaen contravenes care standards by not having en-suite facilities. That is not the case. During the meeting, officials sought to suggest their plans were in some way intended to protect older people’s dignity. Those residents present made their views known by a unanimous show of hands, how much dignity does it afford any of us that their wished are denied?”
Myfanwy added:
“After receiving assurances from Mr McLearnon, Helen Mary and I went to the meeting with open minds. It is now clear that Carmarthen Council’s mind is already made up. Indeed when residents and families asked whether their opposition had made any difference at all to the Director’s view, he replied that it had not. That in itself is shocking proof of the need for Burry Port Labour Councillor Pat Jones, the lead on Social Care to stand up and take political responsibility for her decision and the conduct of her officers.”
“In general, I would support plans that keep people at home and independent where that are properly supported but there are sadly few examples of these plans working. We heard last night how residents in Caemaen had not been able to stay at home with existing home care support and had in some cases suffered serious neglect within home care. It is just not acceptable that older people should be moved against their will”.
Myfanwy and Helen Mary have pledged to support an action group that will fight these closure plans.
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