Improvements  for adult day care in North Yorkshire

9:33am Thursday 28th July 2011

By Mark Stead » Political Reporter

MILLIONS of pounds are to be spent on bringing adult day care in North Yorkshire up to date.

The £3.8 million package of improvements to Selby Day Activity Centre will include the creation of a new four-bed respite unit after the facility was marked out as needing work to bring it up to modern standards.

The Brook Street centre is one of three across the region which are to be upgraded following the announcement of an overall £7.7 million scheme by North Yorkshire County Council, which has identified buildings unable to meet the needs of residents.

The Selby project will also see a new lounge and garden being created along with a specialist day centre for those with “complex physical needs”, with the facilities being open for use by all disabled people in the area.

The programme, drawn up by the council’s health and adult services directorate, was approved this week by the authority’s cabinet. It will also see £2.4 million spent on redeveloping the Elder Street centre in Scarborough and a £1.4 million new facility in Skipton to replace an outdated centre.

Coun Clare Wood, executive member for health and adult services, said: “This is a major investment which demonstrates our total commitment to supporting the most vulnerable people in our society.

“Despite the extremely difficult financial constraints under which we are operating, we believe the work is essential, not only to improve the general level of care and support, but also to create a service which provides consistently high standards in every part of this county.”

The council said the existing day centre and respite care service had “inequalities” across different parts of North Yorkshire, leading to risks of some residents suffering a “loss of dignity and respect”.

Coun Wood said: “These buildings and services cannot remain, as they no longer provide services to modern standards and expectations and, crucially, they are no longer capable of being tailored to the needs and desires of the people for whom they are a vital support system.”

The council will carry out a consultation with the centres’ users and their carers before the plans are finalised.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9165027.Boost_for_North_Yorkshire_respite_care_centres/?ref=rss