Rebellion Over Respite Services For Vulnerable Adults

In an effort to reduce costs at Southampton City Council, the Labour administration is proposing drastic changes to respite services for vulnerable adults.

Currently, the council has a respite centre at Kentish Road and works with two other providers—Way Ahead and the Rose Road Association. As part of the changes, they are planning to expand services at Kentish Road, which is welcome, but they are also planning to take over services at Weston Court, run by Way Ahead, and reduce the provision at Rose Road.

The council consultation on these changes, although flawed in many ways, showed that families know, trust, and rely on these providers. The Rose Road Association has been providing services in the city for 70 years—they are an important part of Southampton and are being mistreated by the council. Equally, the consultation showed that carers and vulnerable adults are happy with the service at Weston Court and are incredibly nervous about the prospect of changes.

The changes would mean moving adults with complex needs to an unfamiliar new setting. Families often find it difficult to encourage their loved ones to use respite services, and the fear is that, with these changes, it could become impossible.

And all this disruption just to save money? That’s where it gets interesting.

I challenged the council administration at the Health Overview Scrutiny Panel last month, asking whether an option including a provider like Way Ahead was on the table—they said no. They consulted on two options, both unpopular, and neither allowing for the continued provision of services by providers in the charitable sector. It was clear at that meeting that there was more to the story, which is why Lib Dem Councillor Richard Blackman brought this decision back to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee last night.

In a welcome move, the council had added an 'Option 3', which included the possibility for external providers such as Way Ahead to continue at Weston Court—but they still recommended taking it over. During the meeting last night, however, the council’s story unravelled further as we heard from experts at Rose Road and Way Ahead—and, importantly, from the families of the users of these different sites.

The Rose Road Association and Way Ahead have told the council that they could run the services, including the service at Kentish Road, better and more cheaply. But the council refused to seriously look into the option.

In the end, the committee, including its Labour councillors, recommended to the council’s cabinet that the decision be postponed so that all options—including private or voluntary sector provision—can be presented.

Cabinet met on Tuesday evening following the scrutiny meeting and agreed to postpone the decision to allow for further consultation on the use of charity providers. This is a welcome move, we will be keeping a close eye on this decision to make sure we get the best result for Southampton's families.