Hollins View closure makes no sense
●● MACCLESFIELD Civic Society’s AGM will be held today (Wednesday, October 22).
Mike Suarez, chief executive officer of Cheshire East Council, will be talking to guests during the meeting, which starts at 7.30pm and will take place in the Whittaker Room at the Old Sunday School Heritage Centre on Roe Street, Macclesfield.
Mr Suarez will be addressing attendees after becoming a resident of the town himself, and during the talk will be covering a range of topics about what is happening in Macclesfield and Cheshire East, and plans for its future.
Mr Suarez was appointed as CEO in May 2013 after leaving his post as finance director of Lambeth Council.
Tickets cost £4 and can be bought on the door.
During the meeting refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome. ACCORDING to a recent statement by the chief inspector of adult social care ‘too much awful care is happening in care homes in England.’.
The inspector’s own organisation, the Care Quality Commission, has faced severe criticism after a series of abuse scandals in care homes.
At a time when the care of vulnerable individuals is described as ‘awful’ by the watchdog that monitors the quality of that care Cheshire east wants to transfer Hollins View into that system.
It defies any explanation other than a blatant cost-cutting exercise on behalf of the council.
Leader Michael Jones claimed that there had been ‘failings on Hollins View drugs distribution’ in the past at a meeting of the council cabinet in September. If that’s the criteria for permanent closure there would be hardly any hospitals or homes in England.
Council claims that moving into the independent sector is for the greater benefit of those in need is an insult.
Do CEC think residents are sufficiently gullible that transferring a well-respected council respite home into a system it’s own quality commission describes as ‘awful’ is for the benefit of patients?
I suggest CEC credits its electorate with a modicum of intelligence.
Employees are expensive and wherever CEC can use external contractors it will.
It may work perfectly well for street cleaning or pest control but it’s totally inappropriate for the care of vulnerable residents.
Once that transfer takes place residents will lose any form of control.
If the facility moves to Crewe the public will have no say.
External contractors are not accountable like Cheshire East and your local councillor will have no more influence than you.