Shake-up plan will cut Oswestry day centre use, meeting told
Fewer people will receive daily care at Oswestry's new day centre in the future under a shake-up of the service, a public meeting was told last night.
The meeting was told about half the people who currently attend the town's two day centres will be given personal budgets to "buy" services, rather than receive them at the centres.
It also heard an announcement on where the new centre would be established was likely to be made in about six weeks.
The event, organised by the Oswestry Equality Group and staged at the Hermon Chapel in Chapel Street, was held to address fears over the planned changes of day care centre services .
The town has two centres, one at Avalon in Victoria Road and the other at a building owned by the Lorne Street Senior Citizens Club. Shropshire Council has announced proposals for their closure when it has identified a replacement.
The council's relocation officer Adrian Johnson told last night's meeting that the centre at Avalon had not been ruled out as a potential site for the new centre if funding was available to refit it to meet the needs of disabled people.
He added that whatever site was chosen, only profoundly disabled people would attend the new centre. Less disabled people who had more independence would be given a personal budget to buy services.
Members of the public raised concerns that people who were not profoundly disabled but were also not independent enough to get the most from a personal budget would be isolated from the community.
Council bosses announced in July that the long term future of a number of day centres in Shropshire was in question, arguing that the number of people who actually used them had fallen.
An initial report recommended a proposal to close Hartley's and Sabrina Court day centres in Shrewsbury, and Innage Lane day centre in Bridgnorth, mainly due to user numbers declining and the buildings no longer being fit for use.
The report also suggested a new day centre for Oswestry to replace two existing centres – Avalon and Lorne Street – saying the buildings were no longer fit for purpose.
Council bosses argued that in July, a total of 463 people were using day centres compared to almost 600 a year before.
They said the number of buildings run as day centres would need to reduce.
Last month, following further talks, the decision was made to close Hartley's and Sabrina Court day centres in Shrewsbury.
It was also agreed that a new facility would be created in Oswestry to replace Lorne Street and Avalon day centres.
No decisions have yet been made about its location, but options include the possibility of using the former Willow Street medical centre building. It was also agreed to "develop the commerciality" of other day services, including at Maesbury Metals in Oswestry, to secure their long-term future.
Councillors said the future provision of day services in Bridgnorth, currently provided at Innage Lane, would be reviewed.
