The
recording of the meeting is publicly available and provides the
individual views expressed by the public at the meeting. In
addition, a detailed report would be prepared following the
scrutiny meeting to provide a full account of the substantial
public contributions to the meeting, to be tabled to Council on
19th January 2023,
Report of the Chair of People Scrutiny Committee Call-in of Tudor
Day Centre Decision.pdf (monmouthshire.gov.uk) . The following
are views expressed by members of the public. The minutes cannot
comment on the accuracy of any of the statements, which have been
summarised under headings for reference.
What
People suggested Tudor Street Day Centre offered them
- People stated that Tudor Street Day Centre offered a central,
safe, warm environment for vulnerable people with learning
disabilities to socialise with friends and undertake a range of
activities. People spoke of how Tudor
Street Day Centre meant much more than a physical building to them
– it acted as a hub, a place to go to for people from all
walks of life to build their confidence, to learn life skills and
to achieve qualifications. Members
heard that the Tudor Street Day Centre was felt to be a place where
lasting meaningful friendships were formed between service users
and the wider community, who attended their fundraising
events. It also provided respite for
carers from 24/7 caring responsibilities.
- People told the scrutiny committee that the central location of
Tudor Street Day Centre in Abergavenny town was easily accessible
to them and that it had the appropriate facilities, such as a
changing bed and disabled toilet facilities that suited many people
with learning disabilities, but not those with profound complex
needs. Some people told the committee that their relatives
couldn’t use the centre because it didn’t cater for the
needs of people with severe disabilities, particularly those who
needed hydrotherapy, tracking hoists and sensory spaces, which are
provided in purpose-built facilities, such as the facility located
in Cwmbran.
- People spoke about how ‘My Day My Life’, whilst
operating at the Tudor Street Day Centre prior to the pandemic had
enabled people to make personal plans and choose what activities
they would like to do within their day.
People highlighted the importance to them of having the choice of
day services and/or being in the community, explaining that
community-based activities alone didn’t support the building
of friendships in the same way. They advised they simply wanted to
see their friends in a safe, warm environment that had the
appropriate facilities for their needs.
How
People reported feeling about the Day Centre’s
closure
- Some people commented on how they felt they had lost the
opportunity to participate in activities they previously undertook,
in which they were able to gain valuable life skills and
qualifications due to the closure of the centre. A carer told members that activities in the
community provided little stimulation for people with learning
disabilities and that the closure of the centre had negatively
affected their own mental health. One
person explained how since the closure, they rarely met with
friends, unless there was a My Mates function, which take place
infrequently. Some people reported that the closure of the centre
had increased their isolation and loneliness.
- One
of the reasons explained to the scrutiny committee as to why people
with severe disabilities struggle to access activities based in the
community are that the toilet facilities in cafes and shops are
inappropriate. It was suggested that
greater thought needed to be given to people’s
needs.
- One
person suggested that Mardy Park (as an alternative centre)
provided a different service offer and was difficult to
access. People told members that the
permanent closure of Tudor Street Day Centre would
“significantly negatively affect service users, carers and
support staff”.
What
the contributors to the Public Open Forum advised service users
need
- A
person suggested that there was a lack of day centre provision in
the north of the county and that the Council needed to give greater
thought to its decision and to consider how services could be
improved, involving service users in shaping the offer. A person suggested the decision had been based
upon cost and that it shouldn’t have been taken ahead of the
conclusion of an overall review of services. They highlighted that
the consultation process had provided no detail as to what
alternative provision may be offered in place of what was being
withdrawn.
- Whilst the remit of Tudor Street Day Centre was not to provide
services for people suffering mental health issues and people
weren’t being signposted to the centre for mental health
support, one person suggested that the centre was attended by
people suffering mental health issues, as well as people with
learning disabilities and that attending the centre helped to
reduce their isolation and build their confidence.
- People spoke of the need for dedicated facilities and a central
base that could be extended to the wider community, to provide an
opportunity for people to come together, share experiences,
learn and make friendships.
- In
terms of people with learning disabilities being able to pay for
personal assistants and carers instead of accessing day services, a
person highlighted that personal budgets were intended to give
people choice, not to replace services. Some people felt that the
closure of Tudor Street Day Centre was the withdrawal of a service,
despite the continuation of the ‘My Day My Life’ model
in a different way. One person explained how people who need one to
one support are unable to access many of the ‘My Mates’
activities, that tended to include trips to restaurants, the cinema
or pop concerts. It was suggested that these are too expensive for
most people to attend on a regular basis and tend to be mainly in
the evening, which wouldn’t suit some people.
- Another member of the public spoke of the lack of
community-based opportunities in Monmouthshire, particularly in
Abergavenny, for people with very complex needs, who cannot be
accommodated at cafes or places in the community. One person confirmed that for people with profound
complex needs, Tudor Street Day Centre wasn’t suitable and
highlighted the lack of in-county respite provision for people with
complex needs. People spoke about the
need for support for young people leaving special education needs
and transitioning into the adult world, which is a particularly
difficult transition.
Wider issues raised by the public
- There was a suggestion that the decision prioritised the needs
of one vulnerable group of people (homeless people) over the needs
of another (people with learning disabilities). It was suggested
that the intention to progress the planning application to avoid
legislative changes relating to flooding was not in line with the
philosophy of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015, nor
its aim to ‘involve people in decision-making as equal
partners’. There was a suggestion that there was a need for
online engagement about the decision.
- Concerns were raised about the consultation process and whether
the letter to service users as part of the official consultation
process was written in the spirit of the Equalities Act 2010
with regard to accessibility. It was
suggested that there was a lack of online engagement about the
decision, working against the sense of open and transparent
dialogue.
The
chair thanked the public for their participation, advising that the
public contributions had been welcomed and appreciated by the
committee. She advised that the
Committee would begin debating the
matter.