Day centre services to be pulled as CCG agrees to closure of hospital site
Rayner Green, Halesworth.PHOTO: Nick Butcher - Credit: Nick Butcher
The future of 24 people with conditions such as dementia, stroke and multiple sclerosis remains uncertain, after plans to move more health services into the building where they are receiving care were approved.
The Rayner Green Resource Centre, in Halesworth, provides social day care for people with these conditions and is funded by the Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
However as the CCG looks to dispose of the Patrick Stead Hospital, its governing body has provisionally approved plans to move its services into the centre in Bungay Road.
Currently, the Patrick Stead Hospital provides phlebotomy, therapy services and eye scanning. However, the building has been deemed surplus to requirements.
A business case presented to the CCG’s governing body said moving the Patrick Stead services into Rayner Green will save £200,000 per year.
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However, this would come at the cost of the social day care services.
Members unanimously agreed the decision - on the proviso that the future care of the 24 people using the day care services is secured.
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Liam Stevens, interim chairman of the CCG, said: “The motion has been approved providing the services currently on offer at Rayner Green are still provided. Working with Suffolk County Council to ensure this happens.”
Rebecca Driver, communications director for the CCG, told members how a public consultation into the proposal had received almost entirely negative feedback.
One response to this read: “The CCG are, in effect, washing their hands of elderly people until they become ‘ill enough’ to be honoured to receive NHS services,”
However in spite of this, the provisional decision was made, although a final decision will not come until the governing body next meets in two months time and members are satisfied the needs of the 24 will be catered for.
A spokesman for Suffolk County Council said: “We want to ensure that local people who use this service continue to get the level of support they need, despite this period of uncertainty.
“We feel that the best way to continue to do this is to meet each of these residents and their families to find out how they are doing and to answer any questions around their future care and support needs.”
