Minutes:
Question
This question relates to item 21 Toutley master plan.
In answer to the full Council 21 July question (34.2) it was clear that vulnerable residents will be moved from Suffolk Lodge to Toutley as part of this project. Please provide risk assessment and mitigation details on how this move would impact vulnerable residents especially how the changes in noise levels and air quality (A329M proximity) impacts.
Answer
Suffolk Lodge currently provides less than 30% of the residential care the Council commissions. Although, it has a Care Quality Commission rating of “Good”, it cannot meet the needs of all the older individuals the Council has to provide residential and nursing care for.
The proposed Dementia Care Home at Toutley would provide local residents with the care and support needed to meet an aging population. It will promote a better quality of life and improved welfare for residents through more personalised care and support.
We are committed to ensuring the scheme reflects best practice in dementia design and the design of the new home is inspired by recent research and learning from the pandemic to create a safe, welcoming place, that promotes the wellbeing and good health of people with dementia.
We intend to work closely with Optalis Ltd to ensure a safe and smooth transition for residents to the new care home and indeed we have made provision of £500K in the Medium Term Financial Plan for this. Individuals have different needs and this funding will ensure any transition works for all.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 protects vulnerable people over the age of 16 around decision-making. Adult Social Care will support residents at Suffolk Lodge to make their own decisions if they can, in order to uphold their rights while living in care homes.
If a person is assessed to lack capacity to consent to living in a care home, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards mandate a set of assessments that are undertaken by two assessors independent of those commissioning the placement, to consider what is in the persons Best Interest and the less restrictive option.
In making this Best Interests decision the assessor is required to consult with a variety of people including the adult concerned (who will still have views, wishes and feelings even if lacking capacity) and ‘relevant others’ (including friends/family/advocates). The assessment will consider the benefits and burdens of a particular placement against other available options to determine what is in the individuals' best interests.
Supplementary question
Thank you David, you didn’t actually answer the question about air quality and noise but I joined the partnership because I believed we would build on the good things started by the previous administration and that we would challenge the things we believed to be not so good. In my opinion this Toutley plan is not such a good idea, it appears to be done for speed to provide a number of places and it is not taking into account the health an wellbeing of the residents being placed there. Given the fact that the public question tonight and now two of the Members questions highlighted a number of concerns with this Toutley plan, my supplementary question is this: Will this Executive defer the decision on Toutley until clarification is made on the points raised tonight and points raised outside?
Supplementary answer
I don’t think we can defer a decision, but certainly as the process goes along we will make sure that the air pollution and noise are kept to an absolutely minimum and within all legal standards of this country and we would do that anyway, and that is the most important thing. I do not want the people who I am serving as Executive Member to be any worse off at this new chapter development at Suffock Lodge and I am sure that is why you said this as well. And we will endeavour to make sure that this is as fair as possible and yes, the noise is kept down low below standards and also air pollution.