Issues - Notts County Council Care Home Closures Justice for Carers
The People of Nottinghamshire fight back for the vulnerable!!!

26 February 2008

Dear Relative or friend of a resident in one of the NCC Care Homes due for closure,

At a meeting held at the Festival Hall in Kirkby on the evening of Friday 8 February, the group campaigning to save Kirklands Residential Care Home and the group campaigning to save Daleside Residential Care Home agreed to join forces in their fight to save both the homes from closure.

At the meeting it was unanimously agreed to engage the services of solicitor Yvonne Hossack. Yvonne has a well-won reputation for acting on behalf of the elderly, frail and vulnerable and in 2004 was Private Eye Woman of the Year. She has successfully acted on behalf of similar Action Groups in other parts of the country, from the South East to the North West. Details of Yvonne’s activities can be found on the Rage National website (RAGE -Relatives Action Group for the Elderly). Research by Yvonne has revealed that the stress and anxiety caused by relocating residents of care homes causes illness and dramatically increases the mortality rate, particularly amongst those suffering from Dementia.

Another meeting has been arranged for 7pm on 7 March 2008 at Clipstone Social Club, Mansfield Road, Clipstone NG21 9AL. We would like to invite the relatives of other residents in the NCC Care Homes under threat of closure to join us, there is strength in unity.

If you wish to come along and speak to Yvonne, we will be pleased to see you. There are no costs involved.
Yours sincerely,
K G Perry
PS. It would be appreciated if you could you please leave a message on 01623 422826 if you are intending to come so that we can estimate the number of attendees.

Covering Letter Re Proposed Closure of Kirklands (Kirkby-in-Ashfield):

Kirklands Home 2 Fairhaven
Kirkby-in-Ashfield
NOTTINGHAM
NG17 7FW
1st February 2008

Dear Relative

KATCH-DC has exciting news regarding keeping our Home and Day-Centre open !

The attached Press Release tells you about this and, as you will see, you are invited to a Families' Meeting on Friday 8th February at 7 pm. This will be held in the Committee Room of the Festival Hall Leisure Centre, Hodgkinson Street, NG17 7DJ. (Hodgkinson Street is the turning on the left before Somerfields as you come from the main traffic lights in Kirkby). It will not be a long meeting … probably about an hour only.

This will be in no way a 'protest meeting' …. We all know how wrong the Council is in bringing forward its proposals, and how hurtful and probably dangerous it would be if our residents were to be forced out of THEIR HOME - see paragraph 6 on the attached final appeal we sent to the Council. Day Centre families should also note para 7. We are now going forward on the assumption that the Council will ignore all our petitions and protests.

Please do come to hear what it is all about … attending the meeting places you under no obligation , and if you do decide to have a personal discussion with your loved one and our solicitors at Kirklands on the Saturday you are still not obliged. If you decided to go ahead there would be no expense for you whatsoever.

Mrs Hossacks (the Solicitor) says that she cannot guarantee success but in all her cases, win or lose , relatives feel a lot better for trying and have the comfort that they have done all they possibly could . Often they have achieved a much better outcome.

Those residents on any sort of State Benefit qualify for free Legal Aid, but even if your loved-one does not receive any benefit please do come along. If enough of us want to go forward, they may possibly be included, again free of any expense. They do not have to be compos mentis for us to handle their cases, provided we have the support of their relatives.

If you would like to come but have transport problems please telephone David on (01623) 720-591 and he will try to get you a lift, from Kirklands. Similarly, if you could offer a lift, please ring David. See you there on Friday the 8th !!

Sincerely

KATCH-DC

["Kirklands Against The Closure of our Home and Day-Centre"]

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE PRESS RELEASE

Grenville Green looks for your help in inviting people affected by care home closures to meet well known Solicitor and Private Eye woman of the year 2004 Yvonne Hossack and the Chairman of RAGE National David Atkins at a meeting at 7pm in The Festival Hall Leisure Centre,, Hodgkinson Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, NG17 7DJ on Friday 8th February 2008.

Grenville said today “I am so excited that such nationally renowned experts have so kindly agreed to help us. I had thought that if the campaign fails that is the end of the road but they are coming to tell us what else can be done. There is no charge for listening to what they have to say and absolutely no obligation. Between them they have saved a hundred care homes from closure but they give no promises save that they will give us the best fight possible”.

31st January 2008.
Why should Kirklands Care Home and its Day Centre be Retained ? .

1. An independent survey has reported that the present buildings have an anticipated life of over 25 years. It appears misguided that the Council is proposing to dispose of these assets (valuable in financial as well as social terms) when they still have a considerable asset life remaining.

2. The Council has for some time been urgently looking for a site for the construction of its new Extra-Care Home. The Kirklands extensive gardens (which the residents cannot use) together with the adjoining unused Council land is 4 times larger than the area of the existing facilities. Planning permission could be sought to develop the new Extra-Care home adjacent to the existing facilities. This fact alone makes the proposition for the continuation of Kirklands a very special case.

3. Mr David Hamilton wrote to us recently stating: "The reason for the closure of Kirklands is that it does not meet current standards." The CSCI has published enhanced standards for new-build Care Homes, but it is important to note that these do not apply to existing facilities such as Kirklands. In fact the Kirklands home meets all current CSCI standards for existing Homes and has passed all CSCI inspections over many years. Kirklands, as presently constructed and equipped, is fully operational and fit for purpose.

4. A specific 'reason' often quoted for the proposed closure is that Kirklands does not have en-suite facilities. Relatives and staff maintain that en-suite bathrooms are not a requirement: indeed, the present commodious bath and shower rooms offer distinctive advantages for the sort of care needed by the Dementia/Alzheimer's residents. It is important that these staff's and families' informed opinions are taken into account. Thus the need for expensive refurbishment to install bathrooms, with the accompanying loss of essential accommodation space just does not arise !

5. Council Officers have admitted that, were this home to close, most or possibly all of the present residents would have to be moved into private sector Homes. However, there are only four of these in this area, and it is difficult to see how they could absorb 25 residents within an acceptable time-scale. With this in mind we suspect that the Council may be forced to go back on their promise to relocate all residents within the local area.

6. A very recent and respected survey has reported that over the UK one in four Dementia residents over 80 who are involuntarily relocated into other homes die within 4 weeks. All but one of our 25 permanent occupants suffer from Dementia or related diseases, and 18 of these are over 80.

7. Regarding our Day Centre, our research reveals that there are no comparable facilities in this area for its clients, the majority of whom live alone and are immobile. At a time when there is national concern for the loneliness of many old people, such individuals should not be denied the facilities which address this core concern. Our recent survey indicates that 73% of our Day Centre clients and their families consider its closure would have a seriously adverse effect on their lives. At the time Kirklands Day Centre was first proposed for closure the Council had not carried out any investigation into the effects of this on its users, nor had it planned for any 'replacement' facilities. That is not what should be expected of a "caring Council". This valuable facility should be retained.

8. The quality of care enjoyed by the residents is a major factor in their disadvantaged lives. This is due to the superb level of care and concern shown to them by the local management and staff. It should be noted that Kirklands' high reputation throughout the district is also due to the Council's own high standards and could not be matched by any private establishment. It is a sad consequence that any enforced move would come as a severe shock to the residents, who would find that staffing levels in private sector Homes precluded their being given the degree of time and attention that they currently receive at Kirklands.

9. 3,650 local residents, including 100% of Kirklands' families, have signed a petition demanding that Kirklands should stay open.

We trust that the Cabinet Committee will give full consideration to the above points and will agree with us that, in the light of the evidence, Kirklands fully deserves being treated as a special case.
 
© Justice for Carer's 2007