Rotherham Council’s £2.1m plan for new day care facilities for people with learning disabilities will move a step closer next week if proposals are agreed by the Council’s Cabinet.
Cabinet members will consider plans to agree a 90-day consultation on what new facilities should replace the existing two premises that the REACH day service currently occupies, in order to ensure modern, accessible and fit for purpose facilities.
The report details the risks and issues with delivering the existing complex needs day services offer for people with a learning disability and autism, currently provided from the Elliott Centre in Rotherham Town Centre and Maple Avenue in Maltby.
The Council’s tenure of the Elliott Centre remains at significant risk, as the building is leased from NHS Property Services and the wider site is currently being redeveloped, leaving the daily operation of the service a challenge to maintain a safe environment along with an unsure future. The Maple Avenue building is an old children’s home that, while valued as a day service location, does not meet modern accessibility standards.
The council has already committed to invest £2.1m in plans to replace existing day service centres and build new modern facilities and is now aiming to work with people with learning disabilities to deliver exactly what they need in the future.
Running from the end of January until June 1st next year if approved, the consultation will ask service users, their families and carers exactly what they want from a new service, what high quality day opportunities for people with complex needs should look and feel like, and how best Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council can deliver on its commitment to transform the support it provides.
As part of the proposed consultation, the Council plans to ask for views about a new building/s and will be encouraging people to share their thoughts on what it should offer and where it should be located.
The council hopes to engage with people with learning disabilities, carers, families and young people transitioning to adult services in the consultation and will be providing support to make sure everyone has the opportunity to take part. A number of meetings will also take place at different venues across the borough during the consultation period.
The consultation will focus on what new day opportunities for people with complex needs will look and feel like and the types of support it will provide. An artist concept of what a new centre could look like will also be shared. Following the consultation, final proposals for a new building(s) and future opportunities will be presented to the cabinet in September 2022.
Councillor David Roche, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: “As we continue to improve services to support people with learning disabilities and autism, we have a long-standing commitment to ensure we maintain an in-house day service provision for people who really need it. So, I’m pleased that we are now in a position to bring forward consultation to begin to make new facilities a reality.
“This proposed consultation will ensure we deliver exactly what is needed from our day opportunities offer.
“The wider Learning Disability Transformation Programme we have undertaken is working to provide high quality care and support that enables people with learning disabilities to be as healthy and independent as possible while also offering more personal choice in the support they receive.
“This proposed consultation is a major milestone in that journey and allows us to build something that is modern, flexible and features a wide range of services and facilities that will meet individual needs.”