Derbyshire council insists planned sale of care home will not increase costs for current residents

The former Conservative-controlled council’s Cabinet previously agreed to sell its Ada Belfield care home, in Belper, by putting it up for transfer on the open market after it had already agreed to sell eight of its other care homes and close five day centres for the elderly across the county.

But as campaigners visited the authority’s County Hall, in Matlock, on July 3, the new Reform UK administration – which took control after the May election – offered reassurances that any sale or leasing of the Ada Belfield care home will not lead to an increase in costs for the residents.

Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Cllr Joss Barnes, said: “We are considering all options at the moment. The plan that has been put forward is a good plan for Derbyshire.”

He added that if the current ‘business model’ does not go ahead for the care home the council will consider alternative plans but he stressed that current residents will remain at the home under any new provider at no additional cost and staff will not lose their jobs because they too will move forward with any new provider.

Cllr Barnes also argued that by selling and or leasing the care home the council is expected to make efficiency savings and reduce its overspend by £2.1m.

However, Belper Together campaigners – who have previously held rallies, protests, submitted a 5,000 name petition and lobbied the council in opposition to the sale – fear residents could face future top-up fees with no upper limit to the amount charged.

The campaigners claim privatisation gives care companies the freedom to raise fees to any level they choose and the campaigners claim that nearly 90per cent of private care home residents nationally require council supplements to pay for their accommodation.

Belper Together held a rally at the Ada Belfield centre, on Derwent Street, in Belper, before visiting the council’s County Hall, on July 3, to present its financial and legal arguments against the privatisation of the Ada Belfield care home.

Chairperson of Belper Together Keith Venables said: “We have come here today from Belper where there is a superb care home which cost eleven-and-a-half million pounds to build that includes a library, beautiful cafe and the rest and it has been put on the market.”

He added: “There is no doubt that if it does go on the market, those who buy it will be entitled to increase the costs of it and make the county council pay more towards that.”

Fellow campaigner Carrie Terry also fears residents may face exorbitant fees because any new providers will want to run the home as a business and for it to be as profitable as possible with no caps on fees and with minimal staffing.

Ms Terry added she was aware of one elderly gentleman who was moved from Ada Belfield which she claimed was because of the situation and due to issues meeting his care and he has sadly since died and she argued that such elderly people with dementia aged in their 90s should never be moved.

The former council administration while managing a multi-million pound budget deficit had argued a need to refocus its adult care services by supporting more dementia patients and helping more people to stay at home due to what it claimed was a decline in demand for residential care after already agreeing to sell eight of its care homes and close five day centres for the elderly.

Cllr Barnes previously stated the council has changed the way it supports Derbyshire residents by creating specialist, efficient, effective and sustainable care to help more people stay in their own home for as long as they can.

He added that as part of changes the council will stop operating some of its residential care homes including Ada Belfield to enable it to focus resources on short term, specialist care for older people and those with dementia and their carers, including integrated and flexible specialist dementia day services and respite.

Cllr Barnes has said the council intends for Ada Belfield to be leased to a new provider as a going concern with no changes to the support offered to the people who live or work at the home.

He has also stated that any new provider will need to have experience and expertise in the running of Care Quality Commission registered residential care or nursing homes to a good or outstanding standard and they will need to sign a legally binding agreement not to raise fees for current residents.

Council Leader Alan Graves said: “There is a huge amount of emotion – you are right – and it’s absolutely correct but the important thing here is that the residents are secure.

“They do not have to move and that is what I think is the most important thing here. Joss is doing a particularly good job and I am really pleased about the progress we are making.”