SOME concerns have been raised over a proposed council review into adult day care services.

Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet has agreed to review its day care services for adults with learning disabilities but some carers have raised concerns about the plan.

Sandra Rohan-Kickham, who cares for her son with complex health needs, told the council’s cabinet that its preference for using external rather than internal providers “raised many concerns.”

Mrs Rohan-Kickham, whose son has attended the Wendron Resource Centre in Bromsgrove, said there would not be enough external providers in Worcestershire to provide some specialists services for some of the county’s most vulnerable adults.

“External providers are not regulated therefore the potential for safeguarding issues is greater than in county council run services where there is a tighter and more ethical oversight,” she told councillors at a meeting on Thursday (October 22).

“Staff are trained and experienced in all areas of learning disability which is particularly relevant when treating people with a high level of autism and challenging behaviour. There are very few external operators in Worcestershire who can provide this specific service.

“Furthermore, some external providers have in their contracts that service users can be expelled with immediate notice which wouldn’t happen in county council run services.

“Carers have concerns about the sustainability of the external market in the current financial climate. It needs to be taken into account that consistency, structure and friendship are all essential for people with learning disabilities.

“During Covid, day centre staff provided support in the community for some service users who previously used the Connect service. Carers feel strongly that this type of support will not be appropriate in the winter months when service users have no base to return to during the day.”

The council said it currently provides day services for around 207 people at four Resource centres in Worcester, Pershore, Wyre Forest and Bromsgrove offering personal care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language support, behaviour support and psychology support.

The county’s Connect services in Worcester, Malvern, Evesham, Droitwich, Bromsgrove and Redditch care for those with less complex needs including employment and education support and helping people to meet friends.

Cllr Adrian Hardman, cabinet member for adult social care, said he did not expect the review to result in closures of centres.

“I am not expecting any closures,” he said. “There could well be differences in how we operate and there could well be differences in transport, but I just really want to give that reassurance.

“This is not about saving money. This is about trying to give, with a very different landscape, a sense of what the future is going to be for these users.

"We no longer have the amount of capacity that we used to have in the Resource centres if they are to operate in a Covid-secure way. We have had to take less people because of this and because of the difficulties with transporting people safely, it is important that we have a quick review."

Cllr Hardman said two reviews would be held with a “quicker” evaluation of Resource centres to be carried out as soon as possible and the county’s Connect centres to be reviewed over several months.

He added the council’s preference to use externalproviders would unlikely apply to Resource centres but could not see why other providers may “step in and help” people who would otherwise have no help for some services.