The Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet agreed last week to the closure of Bryneithin Residential Care Home in Dinas Powys.
A report recommending closure of this 19-bed home for older people with dementia-related illnesses was to have been considered two weeks ago but Cabinet postponed making a decision then to give relatives and others extra time to comment.
Having now considered the comprehensive report about the home’s future, the Cabinet agreed an action plan for managing the closure. All current residents will be offered the choice of a place in Ty Dyfan, a home which is about five miles away.
The accommodation at Ty Dyfan will be newly refurbished, modern and specifically designed to cater well for the needs of residents with dementia-related illnesses. Those residents who do not transfer to Ty Dyfan for reasons of choice will be supported to find alternative suitable accommodation.
A wide-ranging consultation about the future of Bryneithin was held earlier this year and there were 150 responses. The options put forward for consideration included refurbishing the home, increasing the number of places and completely rebuilding the home. All the options were fully considered by council officers so that the Cabinet could make a properly informed decision.
Cabinet member for social and care services, Cllr Dorothy Turner, said “The Cabinet gave very careful consideration to all the information available, including the evidence from the public consultation process and the options appraisal. We acknowledged the strength of feeling against closure, especially on the part of families of current residents. However, the options involving the refurbishment of Bryneithin were ruled out for a range of reasons including that they would require residents to be relocated at least twice to allow for the extensive work which is needed.
“Also, the building would retain many of the design flaws and known deficiencies that prevent the Council from providing a standard of care that is in keeping with the rising expectations of service users and external regulators. The costs would prevent the Council from making effective use of the resources available to meet constantly growing levels of need for residential care places which can accommodate older people who suffer from dementia related illnesses.”
Phil Evans, Director of Social Services, said: “We know that relatives are very concerned about possible harm to their loved ones in transferring to another home. There are risks and the closure plan has been put together very carefully to reduce the impact upon the health and wellbeing of the Bryneithin residents, wherever possible. Any change will be based on assessment by qualified relevant staff, including clinicians, before a final decision is made about individual residents.
“The Local Health Board has offered to assist with this work. We will ensure adequate planning and preparation time, seeking to avoid any move during the winter months. We will welcome involvement by relatives in contributing to the detail within the closure plan.”
Cllr Turner added: “One of the greatest challenges facing Social Services is meeting the growing need for services which help older people as they live longer and seek to remain as independent as possible. We must make best use of the resources available but any change has to be made sensitively. A considerable amount of work has been done in carrying out the consultation, conducting the review and developing these proposals.
“I can well understand that this will be a very disappointing and distressing decision for relatives but the overall objective is to improve access and choice in respect of residential care services for older people with mental ill health and/or dementia.
“Our partners in the NHS and in the voluntary sector acknowledge that the Council is acting properly in helping to achieve an immediate and sustainable increase in the number of residential care places available in the Vale of Glamorgan for people with dementia type illnesses, in settings which are dedicated to providing for their additional needs.”
