Issue - meetings

(Report of the Director of Housing and Adult Services – To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services): To inform Cabinet of the outcome of consultation in relation to the future of Alexandra Road Crisis Unit and to consider proposals with respect to the future of the unit.

Cabinet received a report that provided details with regard to the outcome of consultation with respect to the future of Alexandra Road Crisis Unit (ARCU). The report also sought to provide Cabinet with sufficient information to enable it to make an informed decision with regard to the future of the service.

Prior to consideration of the report deputations from Mr Chris Taylor of Unison and Ms Jill Carter, representing the Save Alexandra Road Crisis Unit group were taken.

Mr Taylor

Mr Taylor noted that Unison opposed the closure of ARCU and considered that it provided an essential service which would not be met if the unit were to close.

It was contended that senior members of NHS Haringey staff had been contacted in an attempt to arrange a meeting with Unison; however this request had been refused. When concerns had been expressed in writing it had taken two months to obtain a response. Mr Taylor considered that this was unacceptable given the impact that the closure of the unit would have upon staff and service users.

Mr Taylor contended that the argument that the closure of the unit was part of a broader package of changes designed to respond to the Council’s commitment to deliver personalised care and greater control was misleading.

In conclusion Mr Taylor argued that the consultation carried out had not been adequate and requested that Cabinet delay its decision until officers had addressed the concerns that Unison had raised.

In response to concerns raised by Mr Taylor with regard to the adequacy of the consultation process, particularly with regard to engagement with the relatively small number of services users; Cabinet was advised that nine face to face meetings had been held between services users’ and staff from the Council and six of these had also been attended by staff from NHS Haringey.

There had also been separate meetings with staff where their questions had been taken. 

In response to the points raised by Mr Taylor the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services, Councillor Dogus, noted that she considered that the consultation process had been extensive. She advised that the Council would provide support to staff working at the unit and as part of this a workforce planning session was being undertaken to identify as many redeployment opportunities as possible for those staff potentially affected by this proposal.

Councillor Dogus advised that the Cabinet understood the value placed on the services delivered by the unit by service users, however; given the budgetary pressures facing the Local Authority, Cabinet had no alternative but to

consider the difficult decision to close Alexandra Road Crisis Unit. It had become necessary to consider this option following NHS Haringey’s decision to cease its funding of the unit.

It was clarified that new models of area being considered by the Mental Health Trust (MHT) including the creation of Recovery Houses had no bearing on the decision being made with regard to ARCU. The unit was a service provided by NHS Haringey and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 98