Decision details

The Director of Social Services made recommendations with regards to the future delivery of the Council’s day services for older people.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care thanked the Director for the comprehensive report and thanked the Community Services Scrutiny Committee for its observations and comments.

The Cabinet Member took the opportunity to emphasise that there was a strong rationale behind the proposed changes and stated that the proposals would deliver positive benefits for service users. The Cabinet Member noted that most clients were not from the locality of individual locations.

Prior to speaker submissions, the Deputy Leader took the opportunity to speak of a recent visit undertaken by herself and the Leader to Cwrt yr Orsaf Extra Care in Pontypridd, following concerns raised. The Deputy Leader spoke positive of her visit and the vast amount of modernised facilities available to service users, such as a large restaurant, beauty salon, cinema room and large garden. Furthermore, the Deputy Leader spoke of the wider facilities in Pontypridd, available to users, such as Ynysangharad Park.

With the agreement of the Leader, the following Non-Committee Member was granted permission to address the Cabinet:

·       County Borough Councillor D Grehan

With the agreement of the Leader, the following Trade Union representative was granted permission to address the Cabinet:

·       Mr C Jones – GMB

Note: Prior to the meeting, correspondence from GMB was circulated to Cabinet Members for consideration by the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication.

The Leader thanked the speakers for their contributions. In terms of concerns raised around the shared access to some of the facilities, the Leader spoke positive of the large space and advised that there were also dedicated rooms available to clients. In terms of the facilities, the Leader confirmed that the design meets the specification for the type of facility and explained that it was designed to be a shared use for clients within the facility and to provide other clients with support. The Leader took on board the concerns of the Trade Union representative and commented that he would be happy to meet outside of the meeting to discuss matters further.

The Director of Social Services advised that Practice Solutions were initially commissioned to undertake a review of the day services and residential model and it was recommended that a new service model is implemented. The Director acknowledged that positive comments were made in respect of Tonyrefail but circumstances had changed since 2019. The Director spoke of the pandemic but also recognised that facilities had since been developed at Cwrt yr Orsaf; and was of the view that it would meet the needs of the service users of Tonyrefail.

In terms of concerns around the space available, the Director spoke of the importance of socialisation and integration of individuals and advised that the facility would provide them with the opportunity to integrate with other individuals, often with the same level of needs. 

In terms of concerns raised around the wet room facilities, the Director advised that within Cwrt Yr Orsaf, there was a dedicated ceiling hoist available, which was not available at the Tonyrefail facility. The Director advised that the addition would support individuals with higher accessibility demands. It was acknowledged that there were fewer toilet facilities within Cwrt Yr Orsaf, but based on the needs of individuals, the Director was confident the facility would meet the needs. The Director emphasised the importance of ensuring dignity and care for all service users of the facility.

In terms of concerns raised in respect of the elevator, the Director did not believe this to be a barrier for the service users and felt that the suitability of the building was fit for purpose.

In terms of concerns raised in respect of transport, the Director noted that approximately 42% of individuals would benefit in terms of travel time. The Director assured Members that all routes would be considered to ensure individuals spend as little time on public transport as possible but recognised that many individuals enjoy the journey.

The Leader clarified that although 42% of individuals would have a shorter journey as a result of the proposals, the journeys would be significantly shorter, whereas for those individuals with longer journeys as a result of the proposals, the journeys would not be significantly longer in time. The Leader felt that in terms of transport, the proposals were on balance.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care thanked all participants for their comments. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that since the pandemic, there had been a decline in use of traditional services and believed that the modern settings would provide greater opportunities for service users, with no loss of service provision. The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care felt that the proposals before Members would assist in tackling loneliness and better support the health and wellbeing of individuals.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.   To consider the information provided in this report, the Equality Impact Assessment (including Socio-Economic Duty) and Welsh Language Impact Assessment;

2.   To approve that Trecynon Day Centre and Cwmni Dda Day Centre are combined by March 2024, and future provision is provided from Cwmni Dda as set out in paragraph 5.2 of the report; and

3.    To approve that the day service provision provided from Tonyrefail Day Centre is transferred on a phased basis to Cwrt yr Orsaf Extra Care in Pontypridd by March 2024 as set out in paragraph 5.6 of the report.