Consultation on proposals for care services in the Allerdale and Distington areas

This consultation is now closed. You can download the consultation report here (PDF, 794Kb).

In April 2012, the Cabinet agreed the following recommendations:

1. Invest in high level home care services to include related assistive technology packages to enable increasing numbers of people to be supported in their own homes.

2. Invest in upgrades in line with University of Stirling Dementia Gold Standards at Parkside and Inglewood to improve the experience of residents with dementia.

3. Cease admissions to Woodlands and, over the next 12 months (depending on the needs of individual residents), close and de-register Woodlands as a residential care home.

4. Retain Park Lodge and work with the local community to explore the potential for a hub and spoke extra care model.

5. Retain Richmond Park and work with the local community to develop options for an extra care scheme in the Workington area.

6. To receive a subsequent report on the feasibility of the extra care model and scheme described above.

In making the decision, James Airey, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said:

"We need to respond to the growth in our older population here in Cumbria.  The modernisation of social care services is essential to ensure we can provide older people with choice about their care and support to live independently.

We have taken on board the concerns raised about availability of residential services.  In both Aspatria and Workington ideas emerged from the consultation and we want to work with the community to explore those options in more detail.

In addition we will be investing in high level of support at home to enable more people to remain independent and upgrading care homes in Maryport and Wigton to improve the specialist care we provide to those who need it most.

We took the decision to close Woodlands as the building is dated and there are a number of alternative services already available that support people with high level needs.  We will do everything we can to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for those affected."

About the Consultation 

Cumbria County Council asked for your views about how we should support older people within the Allerdale and Distington area.

Ensuring services are available for a local population that is getting older is challenging. We are living longer and our expectations of the care and services we would like in later life are changing. Many older people have already told us that they do not want to move to residential care and would rather be supported in their own homes.

New services, as alternatives to long-term residential care, will help older people to remain independent for longer. These new services include rehabilitation and high level support to help people to stay in their home for as long as possible as well as extra care housing that gives people their own front door with the reassurance of an on-site care team.

Cumbria County Council has looked carefully at the money that we spend and have developed a number of proposals which will change the way care services are currently provided. These proposals support the changing trends of adult social care and mean that higher numbers of older people can be supported at home at no extra cost. We would also like to prepare now for the increase in people with dementia by investing in improvements to our residential care homes at Wigton and Maryport. We would also like to invest in a modern extra care housing scheme in partnership with Allerdale District Council, a housing association and other partners.

We would stress that no decision has been made; final decisions on the proposals will be made by Cumbria County Council Cabinet taking into account the outcome of the consultation feedback. This is likely to be in April / May of next year.  The council has already received letters and emails from people expressing their views on the proposals and these will all be included in the consultation feedback.

View a summary of the proposals for change.

You can find out more about these proposals by downloading the consultation on proposals for care services in the Allerdale and Distington areas document (PDF, 2.11Mb).

The consultation period ran from 14 November 2011 to 14 February 2012.