Linelands Expected to Close in May

Linelands Care Home in Nettleham is set to close by the end of May, with alternative care found for the forty people currently using the centre.

Lincolnshire County Council estimates savings of £2.5 million by the end of 2013 from the closure of eight care homes run by the authority across the county.  Linelands, along with Bonner House in Sleaford and Harrison House in Grantham, is part of the second wave of care home closures by the council.

Linelands has twelve respite beds, fifteen intermediate care beds and forty-six day care places, catering for people with dementia and with high dependancy needs.

The move to close the centre is in line with previous Labour government's scheme to transfer care service users onto personal budgets. The County Council says it expects to be able to implement personal budget with Linelands service users by the end of May.

The first wave of care home closures included Park View in Lincoln, The Cedars in Gainsborough, Ingelow Manor in Boston, Halmer Grange in Spalding and Crowtree House in Louth.

Interim Assistant Director of Adult Social Care Commissioning, Mr. Terry Hawkins, explained that if sufficient replacement care is not found for residents, Linelands would stay open later than May.

"After closing the five homes last year ahead of schedule, we feel we can safely provide the residents with independent care and care brokerage support within three months, but Linelands will not close before."

Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Cllr. Graham Marsh, Conservative (Alford & Sutton Division), assured sufficient alternative choices for care are in place.

"We’ve worked hard to identify and create those alternatives by stimulating the market and high-quality choice, with sufficient vacancies and specialism, now exists in each area."

The council is also exploring alternative uses for the Linelands site, such as a dementia hub alongside adjacent supported living accommodation, Church View.

The latest closures will bring the total adult social care job losses to three hundred and fifteen countywide, including at the two Lincoln sites, Swallow Lodge and Linelands. Staff has been offered training to find other care jobs, as well as support to set up their own businesses to offer services to those using personal allowances.

Reprieve for Local Residential Care Home

Lincolnshire County Council has revealed more details on its proposals to improve respite and day care centres across Lincolnshire with brand-new, state-of-the-art facilities.

Closing five council-owned care homes is expected to save taxpayers one million nine hundred thousand pounds a year whilst those opposed to the scheme claim it to be "another nail in the coffin".


The proposal recommends the authority's homes in Lincoln, Gainsborough, Boston, Spalding and Louth should be closed. With the potential for up to two hundred and thirty jobs losses. But the remaining three facilities in Nettleham, Sleaford and Grantham are expected to see changes if the plan is approved next month.

Linelands, in Nettleham provides twenty-seven beds, including fifteen for intermediate care and fifty-six day care places per week. Under the plans, the number of beds remains the same, but the number of day care places drops to forty-five.

Protests against the changes have been taking place throughout the year. Mrs. Elaine Smith, who cares full-time for her mother, Mrs. Lilian Smithson, and has used both Linelands and Bonner House in Sleaford for planned respite care is reported in the Lincolnshire Echo as saying:

"We made it clear that we were not just fighting to keep Linelands open, but all of the eight care homes.

"It does not make good business sense to have spare beds available for respite.

"The vast majority of people who go to these homes have a carer and it’s another nail in the coffin for carers who save the Government millions and millions of pounds a year. It's appalling."

The Conservative-controlled authority says it costs nearly one-thousand pounds per week for a bed in its care homes. This would decrease to five hundred per week for a bed under a new system run by private and charitable companies.

The paper reports that the authority insists changes are required with the introduction of personal budgets, which provide people with more choice by allowing them to buy the care they want, rather than a council choosing where they go.

The county council intends that any monies raised from selling buildings would be reinvested in providing better dementia care services.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Martin Hill OBE, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division) is reported to have commented:

"It's not about saving money, it's about providing a much better service and much more dementia services."

The local Branch Secretary of Unison, Mr. John Sharman, said:

"We can see our campaign has saved three of the homes and we would say this is a partial victory."

Nettleham Parish Councillor, Giles McNeill, said:

"Local residents will be pleased that pressure from a number of sources, including Nettleham Parish Council, has potentially secured the future of Linelands. The County Council face difficult decisions in this area and the whole basis of financial planning for the authority must be being examined."

Leader Will Not Now Visit Linelands

As reported yesterday Cllr. Martin Hill, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division), Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, had planned to visit Linelands carehome in Nettleham today. But following the unrelenting intrusion of the local press has had to call off today's visit and will reschedule it for another time.

The County Council is deciding how it will provide care to the county's ageing population. This includes the option of shutting eight care homes.

Cllr. Hill agreed to visit Linelands after being challenged in the Lincolnshire Echo by carer and union representative Ms Phyl Lynn to speak to those involved at the care home.

Cllr. Hill said he postponed the visit due to high media interest, but a new date would be rearranged. He said:

"I want to talk to the residents without them having to speak publicly or being intimidated by the presence of a camera.

"After I have been to Linelands I will be very happy to give interviews."

County Council Leader To Visit Linelands

The Lincolnshire Echo is today reporting that the Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Cllr. Martin Hill, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division) will come meet with carers and campaigners tomorrow at Linelands, Nettleham, which has an uncertain future following the council's review of care services.


There will be no formal meeting, but staff and residents will be able to speak to him as he tours the building.

Cllr. Hill's decision to visit is in response to a challenge made in the paper by Linelands carer and union representative Ms Phyl Lynn, who asked Cllr. Hill to 'really understand what the services are providing' before making a decision.

The county council is considering how it will provide care to Lincolnshire's ageing population, with closure one of the options.

Cllr. Hill is reported to have said:

"It will help inform us how services are delivered and how they could be delivered in the future, ahead of our decision on shaping care for the future next January."

Cllr. Hill will be joined by Adult Social Care Executive Member, Cllr. Graham Marsh and the County Council's Assistant Director for Adult Social Care, Ms Carolyn Kus.

Campaigners believe the future of the care homes is a 'done deal' and want care to come before profit.

Leader of the Opposition, Cllr. Mrs. Marianne Overton, Lincolnshire Independent (Branston & Navenby Division) has previously said any plans to close the existing homes and replace them with new buildings could be 'doomed to failure'.

Concrete proposals on what the county council is planning are expected to emerge in the autumn.

County Council Care Home Consultation Will Come This Autumn

Update to 'Linelands Consultation Meeting is 'Frank and Emotive''.

The Lincolnshire Echo today reports on plans for the future of eight county council-owned care homes which will come forward this autumn and the small protest on the steps of County Hall yesterday.

The Executive at Lincolnshire County Council is understood to have voted in favour of moving forward the emerging 'vision' - shaping care in the 21st century - to develop care facilities for older people.

Conservative councillors believe that replacing respite and day care centres with more modern accommodation, to tackle the effects of ageing populations, would benefit Lincolnshire residents, although this could see care homes privatised.

Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Cllr. Martin Hill OBE, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division), is reported to have said that details on delivering improved service would come in 'late autumn'.

"This is a long-running saga. It's one thing to agree a vision and another to agree what will happen at a practical level. It's a difficult journey but one we must undertake and not shy away from."

Cllr. Mrs. Marianne Overton

Leader of the Opposition on Lincolnshire County Council, Cllr. Marianne Overton, Lincolnshire Independents (Branston & Navenby Division), commented:

"The current homes work really well and do a fantastic job, focused on getting people better and able to turn the key in their own front door. We need more of these facilities, not less."

Complete details on the proposals will emerge when a business plan has been drawn up and no decision has been made on whether the eight care homes will remain open or close.

Campaigners vowed yesterday, to continue fighting to keep all affected buildings open, including Linelands in Nettleham, Bonner House in Sleaford and Park View in Lincoln.

Protesters with placards lined the steps of the County Council's Offices, in Newland, Lincoln, yesterday campaigning under the slogan 'care not profit'.

Protesters at County Hall.

Mrs. Sylvia Laws, whose sister had benefited from help at Bonner House is reported to have said:

"We have a wonderful home in Sleaford. The carers are a wonderful bunch of people."

North Kesteven Seniors Chairman Mrs. Liz Peto said the group's seventy members were 'unanimous' in opposition.

No comments were made by the Liberal Democrat Group on the matter, despite Cllr. Ray Sellars, Liberal Democrat (Nettleham & Saxilby Division), taking a visible, if sometimes egregious, stance on this matter.

The County Council's Labour Group intends to 'call in' the decision. This means the executive's decision could be debated on Thursday, 17th June 2010, at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting.

Cllr. Robert Parker

Labour Group Leader, Cllr. Robert Parker, Labour (Lincoln West) said:

"We want to see improved services, but ones that remain under the control of the council with care provided by council staff committed to giving quality care.

"We want to see the Conservative council put care before profit for private sector companies. We will be challenging these proposals by calling in the decision."

Lincolnshire's Unison Branch Secretary Mr. John Sharman said the council had missed a chance to include the public sector in the care plan, and commented that:

"The fight to save our homes has not been lost. The fight goes on."

Video Blog #11 - Linelands Care Home Consultation

The Lincolnshire Echo is today reporting that campaigners who are trying to prevent council care home changes in Lincolnshire have made a 'Save Our Services' rallying call.

The impassioned plea was made as residents in Nettleham, north of Lincoln, met yesterday in protest at the county council's plans to replace eight care homes with privately-run provisions.

Linelands, in Nettleham, is one of the facilities which would be affected by the authority's proposals but people who use the service within the village say turning day care and respite centres into state-of-the-art residential care homes is unnecessary.

The authority's executive is expected to vote on the proposals in April, when feedback from public consultations to be considered.

Mrs. Elaine Smith, from Ashby-de-la-Launde, south of Lincoln said she was hopeful the meeting at the Black Horse pub, in Nettleham, would be the first step in allowing campaign groups from across the county to join together against the proposed redevelopment. Her mother, Mrs. Lilian Smithson, needs regular care, is quoted in the paper as saying:

"There have been public meetings and the council has come round and given its spiel about what the plans are, but there has been a lot of opposition to what the council is saying."

Lincolnshire County Council executive member for adult social care, Cllr Graham Marsh, is quoted saying:

"These are exciting plans which will change the type of support available for those using our services and provide people with better options."

Have your say on the consultation at http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/shapingcare.

Linelands Consultation Meeting Cancelled

The meeting regarding the Linelands care home in Nettleham has been cancelled.

The consultation meeting into proposals for the future of care for older people in Nettleham and care services for older people, planned to take place at Nettleham Junior School on Monday, 11th January, between 6:00pm - 8:00pm, has been cancelled.
Lincolnshire County Council blame the plummeting temperatures and severe weather warnings for more snowfalls and icy conditions in the area. In the interests of the safety of those who may want to attend the meeting, some of whom may be elderly people, the meeting will be rearranged in the near future.

Care Home Consultations Criticised in Local Press

The Lincolnshire Echo is reporting that a woman who looks after her elderly mother, says that Lincolnshire County Council is operating in an 'underhand' way in its plans to close care homes, following plans to close eight homes and set up new provision.

 

Currently there are no firm details of what is to be expected while the scheme is out to consultation with staff, families and communities.

 

But Mrs. Elaine Smith who's mother Lilian Smithson needs regular care told the paper that she finds the consultation into the closures unclear and ambiguous. She and her mother, who lives in sheltered housing in Bracebridge Heath, feels the council are being 'underhand' about the closures.

"The consultation questionnaires, I feel, are not being genuine about the consultation and I do not think they are being transparent," said Ms Smith, who travels from Ashby-de-la-Launde every day to visit her mother.

 

"There is so little detail and the questions are just aimed at everyone saying 'yes I agree' but when you break them down, what are you agreeing to? It seems very underhand."

 

As reported previously the staff at the Linelands Care Home in Nettleham are concerned about the people who go there but  Lincolnshire County Council have stopped them from talking the press.

 

The paper has an unconfirmed report that the public meeting planned for Monday has now been cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions.

 

Mr. Nick Smith, the council's lead commissioner for older people, said:

"We appreciate this woman's view about her mother's positive experience of the care provided in Linelands. The council has consistently stated that it is proud of the quality of care provided by staff.

"The issue we are consulting on is how we can match this quality of care with high quality care homes, many of which are dated and can no longer provide the facilities that we would want from a modern care home.

"We are happy to receive comments in any way people wish to send them to us. The questionnaire is to help with this feedback, but if people want to write in and express their views in other ways that is fine."

A decision on the care homes will be made at a meeting of the council's executive on Tuesday, 2nd March 2010.