Dementia care plans backed by committee

COUNCIL plans to review respite and intermediary care for dementia sufferers and vulnerable adults has been backed by a scrutiny committee.

Cheshire East bosses have proposed moving some dementia care serv- ices to the private sector.

The move could affect council run Hollins View Care Home, on Clarke Terrace, Macclesfield, which currently offers 40 beds as respite.

The council’s health and adult social care overview and scrutiny committed backed the cabinet decision to implement its Dementia Commissioning Plan at a crunch meeting last Thursday (August 7).

A formal consultation is to be held over the plans.

The proposals were ‘called in’ by six councillors, including Macclesfield’s Laura Jeuda and Janet Jackson.

Under the plans, all respite care – which gives carers a break by providing overnight beds to those they care for – will be privatised.

Speaking after the meeting, Coun Michael Jones, leader of Cheshire East Council, said the council could now proceed with the change without delays.

Coun Jones said: “What we and the people of Cheshire East need is strong action and action now – not unnecessary delays. Increasing need for dementia care is a ticking time-bomb for communities. Nor should it be about turning adult social care into a political football – as some are seeking to do.”

But Coun Laura Jeuda says that the Labour group’s call-in was not politically motivated.

She said: “All we are trying to do is save a valuable public service.

“The council says that this is to improve choice in Macclesfield, but it is just a cost-cutting exercise.

“Hollins View is a lifeline for people in the community.”

Coun Jeuda claims she was asked not to visit the home – which is in her ward Macclesfield South – by the council until a briefing was produced for council members.

The council declined to comment on her claim.