10th Dec: SAVE Carlton Road Day Service For Learning Disabled Adults
Supporters Protest Against Closure Plans
The chilly evening of Wednesday 10th December marked the point that users, parents, carers, staff and supporters of the Carlton Road Day Service for profoundly learning disabled adults fought back against Ealing Council's cruel plan to close the centre by May 2015.
A large group of supporters of the service joined those fighting against the closure of the Solace Mental Health Drop in Centre, another victim of this years round of cuts in Ealing (http://www.saveoursolace.co.uk/).
Parents, users, carers, staff and our many supporters handed out several hundred leaflets and gained a vast amount of signatures on the Save Carlton Road Petition. The campaigners trying to save the much needed day service for those with profound and multiple learning disabilities remarked that support from people on the street was much higher than was expected, reflecting the need for such a valuable service catering for the needs of this highly vulnerable group of users and their families.
"If Ealing does close this day service, my son; who is so very disabled, well I fear for his future. I've cared for him daily for his whole life, but I am getting older, without the respite I get when he goes to Carlton Road I may become ill or worse - and then what? Carlton Road enables me to continue my role as his main carer and gives him a life. Without it we are sunk..." Carlton Road Parent
Following the demonstration the group of supporters trooped into the Town Hall to attend the Council's Health and Adult Social Services Scrutiny Panel meeting. The panel, consisting of a selection of elected councillors and appointees have the job of scrutinising council decisions in relation to Health and Social Services made on behalf of Ealing residents. Supporters (including users, parents and supporters) made some fine and intelligent speeches supporting the continuation of the council services provided to users of Carlton Road Day Service, Solace and the Elm and Sycamore Lodge Dementia care day services (also planned to close in the recent cuts round).
Councillors asked questions to the officers of Ealing Social Services, Stephen Day, Director of Adults Services and Cheryl Batt, Service Manger for. Learning Disability Services amongst others were there to provide the answers to the panel.
'The respite it provides families enables them to care themselves (at no charge) for their children for better and for longer. If it is removed it becomes much more likely that illness and stress will render them unable to continue and at a much higher cost to the taxpayer should the Carlton Road user have to taken from the family home and placed in residential care - charges for residential units can be as high as £2000 per week or more.'
It was clear that whilst they both attempted to provide comprehensive answers to questions asked, they were still trying to find alternative services themselves in Ealing to re - provide a suitable day service for Ealing's most vulnerable residents. What little day care services there are in Ealing for profoundly learning disabled adults are already heavily over subscribed and much more expensive than the £86 per day that Carlton Road costs each user from their personal budget. One of the few day services up and running, but not within Ealing's boundaries charges £130 per day but does not undertake the necessary personal care that Carlton Road delivers daily in a dignified and appropriate fashion and does not have the equipment (hoists etc) on site.
One of the panels councillors were particularly concerned for the needs of this vulnerable group of disabled adults as he has caring responsibilities for a disabled child. One councillor was brought to tears after hearing the testimony of parents and carers regarding the proposed closure plans.
Many councillors thought that the service could continue to exist, possibly in a different building. It was stated by Cllr Andrew Steed (Lib - Dem: Southfield, the ward encompassing Carlton Road itself), that the site - worth several million pounds had been sold already for a large sum.
Surely if Ealing Council has already benefited from the sale and ultimate disposal of the site to the tune of several million then the small saving slated by closure is offset (the saving will be £180k).
Two councillors on the panel remarked that ultimately it will be financial folly to abandon the users of Carlton Road. The respite it provides families enables them to care themselves (at no charge) for their children for better and for longer. If it is removed it becomes much more likely that illness and stress will render them unable to continue and at a much higher cost to the taxpayer should the Carlton Road user have to taken from the family home and placed in residential care - charges for residential units can be as high as £2000 per week or more.
So where's the sense in that?
Supporters Protest Against Closure Plans
The chilly evening of Wednesday 10th December marked the point that users, parents, carers, staff and supporters of the Carlton Road Day Service for profoundly learning disabled adults fought back against Ealing Council's cruel plan to close the centre by May 2015.
A large group of supporters of the service joined those fighting against the closure of the Solace Mental Health Drop in Centre, another victim of this years round of cuts in Ealing (http://www.saveoursolace.co.uk/).
Parents, users, carers, staff and our many supporters handed out several hundred leaflets and gained a vast amount of signatures on the Save Carlton Road Petition. The campaigners trying to save the much needed day service for those with profound and multiple learning disabilities remarked that support from people on the street was much higher than was expected, reflecting the need for such a valuable service catering for the needs of this highly vulnerable group of users and their families.
"If Ealing does close this day service, my son; who is so very disabled, well I fear for his future. I've cared for him daily for his whole life, but I am getting older, without the respite I get when he goes to Carlton Road I may become ill or worse - and then what? Carlton Road enables me to continue my role as his main carer and gives him a life. Without it we are sunk..." Carlton Road Parent
Following the demonstration the group of supporters trooped into the Town Hall to attend the Council's Health and Adult Social Services Scrutiny Panel meeting. The panel, consisting of a selection of elected councillors and appointees have the job of scrutinising council decisions in relation to Health and Social Services made on behalf of Ealing residents. Supporters (including users, parents and supporters) made some fine and intelligent speeches supporting the continuation of the council services provided to users of Carlton Road Day Service, Solace and the Elm and Sycamore Lodge Dementia care day services (also planned to close in the recent cuts round).
Councillors asked questions to the officers of Ealing Social Services, Stephen Day, Director of Adults Services and Cheryl Batt, Service Manger for. Learning Disability Services amongst others were there to provide the answers to the panel.
'The respite it provides families enables them to care themselves (at no charge) for their children for better and for longer. If it is removed it becomes much more likely that illness and stress will render them unable to continue and at a much higher cost to the taxpayer should the Carlton Road user have to taken from the family home and placed in residential care - charges for residential units can be as high as £2000 per week or more.'
It was clear that whilst they both attempted to provide comprehensive answers to questions asked, they were still trying to find alternative services themselves in Ealing to re - provide a suitable day service for Ealing's most vulnerable residents. What little day care services there are in Ealing for profoundly learning disabled adults are already heavily over subscribed and much more expensive than the £86 per day that Carlton Road costs each user from their personal budget. One of the few day services up and running, but not within Ealing's boundaries charges £130 per day but does not undertake the necessary personal care that Carlton Road delivers daily in a dignified and appropriate fashion and does not have the equipment (hoists etc) on site.
One of the panels councillors were particularly concerned for the needs of this vulnerable group of disabled adults as he has caring responsibilities for a disabled child. One councillor was brought to tears after hearing the testimony of parents and carers regarding the proposed closure plans.
Many councillors thought that the service could continue to exist, possibly in a different building. It was stated by Cllr Andrew Steed (Lib - Dem: Southfield, the ward encompassing Carlton Road itself), that the site - worth several million pounds had been sold already for a large sum.
Surely if Ealing Council has already benefited from the sale and ultimate disposal of the site to the tune of several million then the small saving slated by closure is offset (the saving will be £180k).
Two councillors on the panel remarked that ultimately it will be financial folly to abandon the users of Carlton Road. The respite it provides families enables them to care themselves (at no charge) for their children for better and for longer. If it is removed it becomes much more likely that illness and stress will render them unable to continue and at a much higher cost to the taxpayer should the Carlton Road user have to taken from the family home and placed in residential care - charges for residential units can be as high as £2000 per week or more.
So where's the sense in that?
SAVE CARLTON RD!
