Cllr Foulkes said he wasn’t going to sit here and say he was happy and that they took a different view of transformational change. He referred to the CQC report and asked if adults with learning disabilities having a choice was enough? Howard Cooper answered no. Cllr Foulkes pointed out that some choices cost more than the services replaced. He referred to Raby Hall costing £290/night whereas Maplehome was £380/week. He said carers had concerns.
Howard Cooper said he expected the system to improve so that people could exercise a diverse range of choices that just Wirral Council provision. He pointed out that Wirral Autistic Society provided very high quality and specialised care for people with autism as those people had a high level of need. Cllr Foulkes asked if carers had been made aware of choice.
The Director had examples of respite in people’s own home, that could be provided when carers go on holiday. Cllr Foulkes said he believed the whole process was going too fast. He referred to a visit to Maplehome. He said the manager had told them not to tell people there about the changes and that he was not 100% happy regarding the implementation.
Howard Cooper assured him that every single one had been contacted and that the day centre wasn’t being stopped, but would be provided in a different building. Cllr Johnston asked whether the safeguarding post was an interim or a permanent position.
The answer given was that it might need to continue beyond September. He said the need for two separate boards was a legal one, however different areas had different approaches as to whether adult and children safeguarding should be dealt with jointly or separately.
