OAP housing merger proposal spark picket protest
ELDERLY care home residents have picketed council offices in protest against proposed mergers.
Neath Port Talbot Council has put plans to build three new care homes — in place of seven in the borough — out to consultation.
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Morfa Afan residents Thomas Williams, Dave Merrill and Ray Hendra demonstrate outside Port Talbot Civic Centre against proposed care home mergers. AH090210-a-001
They are also looking for a partner to take over management of the homes.
However, residents fear the plans could affect care standards and staff fear they could lose their jobs.
One resident of Morfa Afan care home, 63-year-old David Merrill, said: "We're concerned that it will affect care. The staff are marvellous at Morfa Afan and we would hate to lose them. We don't want to lose our homes."
Another resident, Ray Hendra, aged 67, added: "We are worried. The staff do a sterling job. We have a petition and we want people to sign it." Councillor Peter Rees, Neath Port Talbot cabinet member for social services health and housing, told protesters outside Port Talbot Civic Centre to have faith in the authority.
He said: "I want to reassure residents. I want them to take this message back to their homes — there's no need to be anxious. We are looking out for your welfare, and that of our staff. Have some faith in your council."
Unison reps Patrick Morgan and Melanie Fender were at the impromptu protest, which was organised by residents.
They called on Councillor Rees to make reassurances that jobs would not be lost and care quality would not slip.
He said: "We will put conditions on whatever partners we decide on that will protect staff and residents.
"We cannot say we are 100 per cent sure, but we can say that we will not make any compulsory redundancies.
"We must act now. Homes such as Morfa Afan will deteriorate over the next five years, which will cause problems for care quality, but will also affect attracting staff to work in the home.
"However, none of this is set in stone, this is the consultation period. These are still proposals."
Consultation began on January 28 and will run until March 30, when it is expected to go back to councillors for a final decision.
Claire Marchant, head of community care services, said officers had visited all council-run care homes to address residents' and staff concerns.
She added: "We recognise that the possibility of change can be worrying for both residents and their families and for staff.
"We can reassure residents that under the proposal staff would move with them into the new homes. People have also asked what would happen to the current homes in the short term and we have confirmed our intention that these would remain open until the new homes were ready to welcome residents. More meetings are scheduled as part of the consultation."
10 Comments
by Linda, Neath
Friday, February 12 2010, 1:07PM
“Daiiroko please desist from linking me with PLaid Cymru as I have asked you previously. I refer to Neath Port Talbot 'seeking a partner' to assist in building and running the new 'conveyer belt care homes' they intend to build. So NeathPort Talbot are going to fuind thebuilding of these new 'super homes' themselves? I would be grateful for a substantive response from you on this as it seems you like to attack without giving logical justification.”
by Paul Lynch, Real World
Friday, February 12 2010, 12:21PM
“Daiiroko, Swansea Valley - The WHQS and the Care home strategies are related in as much as they are part of the same public service reform ideology, i.e. Privatisation/PPP/PFI. As is the councils inept plans to privatise their street lighting...
As Neath based AM Bethan Jenkings has said; "privatised services had a very patchy record when it comes to delivering on promises and targets...It would be terrible if a private operator were to make certain pledges in order to win a contract, only to turn around in a couple of years time and say 'sorry; we don't have the money to deliver', or 'sorry, priorities have changed',"
Wake up Daiiroko! Privatisation is the defunct indeology!
Perhaps you are unaware that the British Medical Association is encouraging patients to sign up to its anti-private sector stance (See: NHS 'cannot afford private role'). Are the BMA 'Political dinosaures' aswell?
By the way, well done UNISON for starting a campaign to stop care home closures. I for one fully support the rapidly growing campaign to 'Stop Homecare Privatisation'.”
by Daiiroko, Swansea Valley
Friday, February 12 2010, 1:14AM
“Might I lead with the comments about Plaid's Tony Wyn Jones contribution. The man is clueless. A duly elected representative he has engineered a link between two totally unrelated aspects of the Counncils responsibilities.The .
WHQS and the Care home strategies are TOTALLY UNRELATED. In fact when he asks CLlr Peter Rees to tell the truth, shouldnt he tell the truth and say that HE hasn't a clue what he is taliking about..
As for Plaid Cymru's Linda Ware's diatribe on PFI - trhe longest contribution in the responses - she is the only only one constructing a myth around such a scenario. Nowhere in the report to the Council is there mention of PFI
Then there are the Political dinosaures - Paul Lynch and Huw Pudner. Seriously ,'forgive them for they know what they do' . Their contributions are more to do with a defunct phiolosophy than with the challenges of manageing a social service under current financial strictures. Perhaps its about time they updated their irrelevant idealogies and joined the rest of us in the real world”
by Wayne Morris, Sandfields, Port Talbot
Thursday, February 11 2010, 2:21PM
“I wonder how many people protesting voted Labour in the last local elctions?”
by Linda Ware, Neath
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 10:39PM
“Partners means a PFI ( Private finance initiative) which means profit comes first.. Article - Private Eye 16th - 29th October 2009 - How much are the country's 640 private finance initiative schools, hospitals and the like costing taxpayers.... and what can be done to cut the bills .... sadly "not a lot" and "nothing" are the answers. Non negotiable payments under PFI contracts are running at more than £8 Billion on projects with capital value of £63 billion.........Across government the full set of PFI deals valued at £63 billion will cost taxpayers a whopping £246 billion on the Treasury's latest figures. Why is Neath Port Talbot CBC trying to unload over 9000 council houses and all these care homes. Questions need to be asked as to how much money they would glean from the sites of these 7 care homes which they wish to 'get rid of'. Isn't Caewern home very close to the new development of Coastal Housing Association? It is about time this Council came clean and gave the information to the people who are being affected that they need. They are inundating council tenants with information, in fact they are force feeding them wedges of it in the shape of housing officers arguing with tenants if they have the audacity to want to vote no. I thought having a vote meant it was your choice. We should all stand up and say NO to this council. The museum has been closed, half the staff from Neath swimming baths have been finished and now they want to herd people into super homes which will bear no resemblance to the homes they now inhabit but will be far more 'economical' to run so that more profit can be made on the weak and vulnerable. There are elections coming, but not quite quickly enough it seems.”
by Paul Lynch, Swansea
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 7:38PM
“Now NPT Council are looking for someone to take over management of their elderly care homes. In other words they want to privatise elderly care homes as well as council housing...!
I'm sure that when Councillor Peter Rees said: "We are looking out for your welfare, and that of our staff." he actually meant they are desperately trying to save their own bacon.
The only reason a council would want to off load their responsibility for such projects is because they know that if they run a service poorly they will lose public support and votes. However, their thinking is more than a little shortsighted because fobbing people off with half truths and weasel-worded propaganda and shirking their responsibility as publicly elected members will also lose public support and votes.
Privatisation means worse services for those who rely on those services (see: rail, gas, electricity and water) and yet more money for the big bosses who take over. Not only that but it's a complete waste of public money as privatised companies invariably receive huge public subsidies.
Have these people no shame?”
by Tony, Bryncoch South
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 6:36PM
“Re.Dave Mayals.
Is there something wrong with you what do you mean that's what you would expext from someone living in a care home one day that person could be you or a member of your family.
I have nothing againest the new care home's far from it I welcome them it's the way they are treating the elderly at this time by closeing the homes before the new one's are ready they will not get the care that they are having at presant and job's will be lost.
I am quite happy to meet with you (Dave) and discuss this face to face or even invite you to an open meeting regarding care homes.”
by Dave, Mayals
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 5:49PM
“So what's wrong with building new care homes? Sounds like these residents have put 2 and 2 together and got 5. Well I suppose that's what you'd expect from someone in a care home.”
by Cllr.Tony Wyn-jones, Bryncoch South
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 5:19PM
“I only wish that I was young enough to be around when Cllr.Peter Rees may need to be in a care home and see how he would feel.
I have to congraulate NPTCBC for the building of Ty Twyn Teg this is a wonderful building but we need more like it soon forget your campaign for stock transfer and look after the elderly.
At the first meeting of the council WHQS meeting Cllr.Rees said "GOD FORBID IF THE VOTE IS NO TO STOCK TRANSFER THEN COUNCIL RENTS WILL TRIPLE. come on Cllr.Rees TELL THE TRUTH NOW.”
by David, huwpudner@ntlworld.com
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 4:36PM
“We have a New Labour council on a privatisation mania!
This is what happens when a party embraces the free market dogma.
Support the residents of the threatened homes and support the staff who do not want to be handed over like chattels to a private company.”