Council insists it will not be closing day care centres

Caerphilly County Borough Council has insisted it will not be closing day care centres.

The council made the statement following speculation that day centres in the borough could close.

The day centres are valuable resource for vulnerable people, including adults with learning difficulties and the elderly.

Council leader Philippa Marsden said: “I want to assure the community that there will be no day centre closures.

“We are consulting to hear the views of the community about how we can improve our provision in future.

“The last thing we need is unfounded rumour and speculation spreading in the community causing unnecessary concern to some of our most vulnerable residents.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic, opening hours at day centres in the borough have been limited due to health and safety measures and staff shortages.

Carers of adults with learning difficulties have called on the council to return day centre hours to what they were before the pandemic.

Emma Lee, 43, from Blackwood, said she was “seriously considering” putting her son Bradley, who was born with cerebral palsy and is registered blind,  into supported living due to the lack of social care hours offered to him.

The council are currently consulting with carers and service users on how to best operate the day centre. The consultation closes on Friday, September 10.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Social Care, Shayne Cook, said: “Once the consultation concludes, the long-term future of the service will be discussed face-to-face with service users.

“We are here to listen and this is what we will be doing over coming weeks and months. We will listen carefully to the views expressed through these individual conversations as they will also inform the shape of the service.

“We care about our day centre users and the services we provide. There are no planned closures at all. This is about talking directly to the service users about their individual needs.”

In August, councils across Gwent, including Caerphilly Council, warned of potential social care shortages due to staff summer leave, self-isolation, equipment shortages and increased numbers of people being discharged from hospital needing care.