Brighton and Hove to review accommodation for adults with learning difficulties

A growing number of adults with learning difficulties in Brighton and Hove are likely to be cared for in-house.

The move is intended to save more than £310,000 in the coming financial year (2012-13) and £415,000 in 2013-14.

Brighton and Hove City Council will now carry out a 90-day consultation and produce a follow-up report in June.

Councillor Rob Jarrett, the council’s cabinet member for adult social care and health, said: “We are not talking about going back to very large residential units.”

He was responding to concerns raised by Conservative spokesman Councillor Ken Norman.

Council official Karin Divall said: “Our accommodation service has a high unit cost.

“We place people out of the city who have complex needs.

“Some people may be able to live in more supported accommodation within the city.

“We’ve got a number of houses which have been there for a number of years without review.

“We’re going to carry out a consultation to see how we could reduce our costs and how we could provide a good service for people with challenging behaviour and other complex needs.”

Councillor Jarrett said: “We will be trying to bring people back into the city when we can. We’ve got someone placed, for example, in Plymouth. It can be difficult for families.”

Denise D’Souza, the director of adult social services, said: “This is very much about individual people and individual people’s homes.

“There are issues such as compatibility. Some people are going through transition (from being cared for by children’s services).

“This is a consultation to help us get to a position where we can see what the in-house service can and should provide.

“There’s a balance between anxiety for people and trying to get things right.”

A written report by Karin Divall to Councillor Jarrett said: “The remodelling of the in-house service is required to contribute to an increase in local services for people with challenging behaviour and other complex needs who are often at risk of being placed out of the city.

“The service currently provides some challenging behaviour services but at a higher unit cost when compared with other local authorities.

“It is therefore proposed to remodel the in-house service by making some changes to the accommodation, further increasing staff skills and flexibility, and by focusing the in-house service on those with the greatest needs.

“This paper proposes that consultation commences with staff and service users to inform the development of a model of accommodation which delivers improved value for money in line with other authorities and focuses on providing specialist accommodation.

“The consultation will explore opportunities to improve value for money by consolidating our accommodation into larger properties and providing a staffing structure which is flexible skilled, and which continues to meet the needs of people using our services.

“The consultation process will ensure that people living in our services are appropriately supported in the context of their individual learning disabilities to engage and participate in the consultation.

“There will also be consultation with staff, unions and family carers as appropriate.”