Agenda item

(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 the Council and separate to services operated by the MHT.

Ms Carter

Ms Carter noted that she represented a group of service users and professionals that opposed the closure of ARCU.

It was noted that the unit provided a safety net for many people and that it was a highly valued service amongst its users. It was contended that the closure of the unit would a group of people without a service that they regarded as essential without providing an alternative.

The out of hours telephone service that the unit provided would also be a significant loss to service users and this combined with the closure of Clarendon ? meant that there was no longer a similar type of service available.

It was contended that the expertise of staff working at the unit would form a significant loss to service users. The unit was also based in a very accessible location and it’s closure would result in service users having to travel greater distances to access care.

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Following Ms Carter’s deputation officers clarified that the telephone service operated by ARCU would not longer continue if the proposals were agreed. However, it was noted that there were alternative services including the twenty-four hour service operated by the MHT and the Council’s emergency duty team, which included social workers.

In response to Ms Carter’s deputation Councillor Dogus reiterated that whilst Cabinet understood and appreciated how much people valued the services provided by the unit it had to consider its closure as it was only partly funded by the Local Authority.

With regard to concerns raised around the loss of capacity in the Borough to treat people that currently used the type of services provided by the unit it was noted that there were a significant number of residential care homes close to the Borough boundary and that the Council currently commissioned all mental health residential care from outside the Borough.

It was noted that mental health services placed an emphasis on recovery and moving on from residential care and that providers within the market were used to working with people who were in crisis. In addition NHS Haringey was in the process of developing Recovery Houses and this provided another strand of work targeted at addressing the needs of people in crisis.    

It was noted that the telephone crisis helpline would continue to be offered through Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust as this is in line with its role and function and formed part of its current service offer.  In addition the Council also operated a out of hours emergency duty social work service on a twenty-four hour basis throughout the year.

It was noted that the recommendations set out in the report should be seen in the wider context of the Haringey Efficiency Saving Programme and the principle decision taken by Cabinet on 21 December 2010 to achieve savings in this area.

RESOLVED:

1. That the closure of Alexandra Road Crisis Unit be agreed, producing a net saving of £138k per annum from 2012/13.

2. That the proposed date of closure would be by spring 2012 and all current services users would receive a review of their needs well before this date and alternative care would be identified; all people needing such a service would continue to receive one from the appropriate service provider.

3. That Cabinet Members confirm their decision in principle, taken on 21 December 2010, to close the service, having taken into account the outcome of the consultation process as detailed in section 8 of the report, including the outcome of consultation with trade unions and staff (set out in appendix 5) and the Equalities Impact Assessment (set out in appendix1).