THREE care homes – one in Chester and one in Ellesmere Port – could be closed as part of a council shake-up.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is looking to change the way it provides care in the community, saying it wants to move away from traditional building-based, short-term and respite care, and instead provide care and support at, or close to, people's own homes and communities.

As part of the plans, it is looking to close three council-owned facilities which it says over the past 10 months are less than half full and are in need of significant refurbishment.

They are Curzon House in Saltney, Chester; Sutton Breeches in Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, and Leftwich Green in Northwich, which was temporarily closed in September 2018.

A consultation has now been launched for affected service users, carers and staff to have their say on the proposals.

Charlotte Walton, Director of adult social care and health, said: “We want to provide a range of flexible, bespoke services delivered closer to home within communities.

"This means looking at how we currently provide these services and exploring a move away from traditional building-based short-term and respite care towards a wider range of services offering greater personal choice and control for service users.”

This consultation follows the wider budget consultation Unprecedented Times that was launched in October 2020. One of the proposals within the budget consultation document was the need to review building-based services within Adult Social Care.

This proposal could see the closure of these facilities to allow the investment needed in a wider range of services delivered close to people’s homes and within their local community offering greater choice and control to those needing respite or short-term care.

CWaC says that as part of the ongoing uncertainties mainly caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it may need to have to save between £34 million and £43 million over the next four years.

As part of its budget plans, it envisages that its review of building-based care – and subsequent closing of such buildings – could ultimate save the authority £1.188 million a year if fully implemented.

Councillor Val Armstrong, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: “It is clear that we need to move with the times if we are to support people and provide them with access to the care they want, in the way they want and at the time they need it most.

“Releasing the funding tied up in currently underused facilities requiring major upgrades will enable us to provide a greater choice and flexibility of care for those needing it without any reduction in the level of services people can access.

"That is why this consultation is a such an important step towards improving the care offer we can make to our communities.”

Options being explored within the consultation include:

  • A direct payment for service users to buy their own support to be delivered in their own home.
  • A choice of short term/respite care in a residential/care home of their choice.
  • The option of having care delivered in someone else’s home, this is known as Shared Lives.

The consultation will run until February 15, following which a report of the findings will be prepared and recommendations presented to cabinet.