Notes of staff/TU meeting

Tyndale RCH - 7 January 2004

Present:

David Smallacombe, Project Manager

Ainslie Saunders, Personnel & Training Manager

Sarah Shatwell, Group Manager

Yvonne Case, Residential Services TM

Pam Reeve, Group Administrator

Pat Head, Senior Support Worker

Lee Crowther, Night Support Worker

Jacky Webb, Support Worker

Sue Wiltshire, Support Worker

Sheila Wright, RCH Manager

Wendy Heard Cook

Kay Whiteman, Assistant Manager

Chris White, GMB

Richard Gurney, Unison

Joy Davies, Night Support Worker (UNISON)

Jane Woodland, Support Worker

Lynn Green, Support Worker

Laura Avis, Night Support Worker

Alison Rose, Night Support Worker

Jenny Savery, Support Worker

Jacqui James, Support Worker

Lynn Pursey, Domestic

Zainabu Mbye, Domestic

Esther Mayer, Casual Support Worker

David Smallacombe (DS) asked all present to introduce themselves and explained that the purpose of the meeting was to talk to staff, bring them up to date with the process of consultation about the possible closure of the Care Home and listen to their views. DS acknowledged that as part of the original consultation in 2002 he had said to staff, relatives and residents there would be `no interim move'. That is to say the plan at the time was to build all the new homes and have the residents at Tyndale move directly to one of them.

DS made it clear that since this had been the plan at the time he had misled neither staff nor residents, however since that time there have been significant changes. For example vacancies in the seven remaining homes over the last 12 months or more has been running at 15% which results in unfilled beds and therefore higher unit costs and loss of income. Recruiting staff, particularly in the Bathford area has been difficult resulting in the need to use excessive numbers of agency staff the cost of which is high. This has led to budgets being overspent to a seriously high level.

As a result the senior management team, in its consideration on how to minimise the impact of an overspent budget, needed to look at what could be done differently to help manage the financial situation and make best use of the limited revenue funds it has. One of the possibilities being considered is the potential closure of two EPH's.

Before any decision to close is made Council Members require information on which to base decisions. This includes:

DS explained that Sarah Shatwell's original report to Members had addressed point a) above. New assessments and care plans for each resident are required to satisfy point b). Ainslie Saunders and her staff need to talk to staff on an individual basis to address point (c). Jane Shayler, Sarah Shatwell and Yvonne Case have already met with relatives and further mtgs are planned so that point (d) can be explored.

When the outcome of all these actions is known the information will form the basis for a further report to Members of the Executive. Members would then be asked to make a decision about closure. DS acknowledged that although it is difficult to understand exactly how people feel managers were conscious of how vulnerable staff and residents felt, and that everyone was aware of the media interest.

Ainslie Saunders said that she appreciated the concerns of the staff, and that as their employer B&NES had responsibility for their future employment oportunities. She and her team were able to offer one-to-one meetings with every member of staff where they could discuss the options available. These could include a move to another home, re-training, or the opportunity to do completely different work. Staff involved would be given priority in respect of job vacancies across the whole Council, not just within Social Services.

DS said he understood how hard it was for staff in relation to their own jobs and that resident's feelings and worries would add to the pressure. He had seen the interview with a resident on television where a she had said that moving them "will kill people". He wanted to emphasise that this was not necessarily the case. No resident has died as a result of Greenacres Hse closing despite it being a sensitive and worrying time for all concerned.

A staff member commented that Greenacres had fewer residents, and Tyndale residents were likely to be moved twice.

DS reiterated that it was difficult to attribute someone's death specifically to a move in home although he acknowledged some particularly frail people could be affected by the changes. He repeated that no one from Greenacres had died as a result of its closure. He suggested to staff that if at all possible they should put the possibility of any of their residents' health being seriously affected to the back of their mind although he acknowledged that this would be an issue the media might concentrate on.

Sarah Shatwell said that in the next few months there would be more meetings with relatives, and that all residents would undergo a comprehensive care assessment. Staff would receive support from their Unions, and were welcome to have a Union representative or other advocate to help them at meetings. Age Concern had advocacy services, which residents could use, and possibly other organisations such as MIND would have a similar arrangement.

Joy Davis made two points 1) that staff were upset by the report which said Tyndale was in Bathampton, not Bathford, and 2) that there had been bed-blocking where social workers had been asked some time ago not to send residents to Tyndale

Yvonne Case replied that admission to homes had only been restricted since the report to explore closure was made public. No instruction had been given prior to this to social workers, and in fact Sarah had sent out a briefing to them stating what the referral arrangements were.

A staff member asked why there were lots of referrals but the home did not get any new residents

Yvonne replied that there were lots of referrals but when the care plans were looked at, the Elderly Persons Homes could not provide the level of nursing care required. DS said that if a care plan showed nursing need, then, as the Registered Care Manager, Sheila was unable to accept that person. If current residents require nursing, staff try to give them that care before they move on to nursing homes.

A staff member asked about the additional beds reported in the press and those at St John's Court, which is not yet finished. DS replied that the additional beds were PCT beds, not B&NES, and that we would have to provide care for residents in the intervening period until St John's Court was ready.

A staff member suggested merging two homes, which would solve the problem of shortages, both in terms of residents and staff. Sarah replied that she had been asked by the SMT to produce recommendations about the closure of two homes because the situation was serious and we were relying heavily on agency staff. There had been many attempts at recruitment of staff but these had failed.

Richard Gurney (Unison) said staff felt there was a block on admissions only last week. The private sector can pick and choose whom they admit. Agency staff often remained for long periods of time, which provided continuity. Closures can kill, and he felt that there was research that showed this to be true.

Chris White (GMB) said that if the situation had changed once, it could change again. Sarah pointed out that we had consistently had 85% under-occupation across the homes for a long time.

Staff asked when the first home would be built. DS said the alterations to St John's Court would be started in a month or two. Jane Shayler was involved in interviews today to choose a constructor for the overall programme. The builders would hopefully start work on the first new home around the spring of 2005.

A staff member asked if planning permission had been obtained? DS - we've already been in talks with the planning department. Plans for St John's Court will be submitted in February, Carrswood in April, Green Park in June and Keynsham in May 2005.

Staff member - it is difficult to answer residents' questions

Staff member - I know for a fact that this home will close.

Joy Davis (UNISON) said that the Executive member takes advice from officers; therefore the closure will go through. She had a letter from Jane Ashman that said that the home would close.

Staff member repeated the suggestion that two homes are merged.

Staff mentioned the closure of Larkhall, which was a purpose-built home. Staff at Larkhall had been trained to deal with mentally ill residents, and after Larkhall closure staff from Sunnyside were sent for only one week's training. Staff were being trained, only to find that no suitable jobs existed.

Staff member said all of Tyndale staff were achieving NVQs to no effect because the Council would lose their services.

Ainslie said the Council wanted staff to do what was best for them individually, but that the Council also wished to retain staff.

Richard Gurney (UNISON) said that a few years ago officers advised the Council to close all the homes but this was stopped. There is a credibility gap. The staff are crucial to the re-provision programme, you cannot turn people on and off like a tap.

Staff member - promises have been broken.

Staff member - if it's not a question of money, why not keep homes open?

Staff member - valuation quoted in the press is ridiculous - £1.6m for both sites

DS - the money from selling the property is needed for the rebuild. The valuation figures included in the original reports were cautious in order not to undermine the project at a later stage.

Staff member - concern is the resident, not my job. DS - all residents will have a comprehensive assessment to determine their needs.

Staff member - private sector homes are awful. DS - the NCSC regulates all homes, so all have to meet the same standards.

Staff member - Your report said people preferred to work in B&Bs locally, and that is why it was difficult to retain staff.

Sarah - I have always stressed that the standard of care is not the problem, and staff at Tyndale made the comments about B&B. Sheila Wright (Registered Care Manager) I made that comment because of the difficulty of finding domestic staff.

The question of Barthel scores was raised - Sarah said Council policy was that if a resident achieved a Barthel scores below 8 it would suggest the need for nursing care. A staff member said Barthel scores are being interpreted differently. It doesn't take into account mental health.

Staff member - residents won't be able to cope in The Orchard or St John's Court even if the Barthel score shows they can. Can you promise that none of our residents will go to St John's Court or The Orchard? DS - all residents will have a comprehensive assessment, not just a Barthel score. They could be placed in another home; there are other places for them to go.

Staff member - I was at Glenfield when it closed and some placements were inappropriate

Staff member - one resident has said she does not want to live in a flat, she prefers the communal life with friends.

Sarah repeated that Barthel was not the only defining point; a comprehensive assessment would take everything into account.

Staff member - people want to know if we have jobs and residents want to stay together. Green Park has mental health clients, Marjorie Whimster has residents with dementia, and Greenacres had a different client group again.

Joy Davis (UNISON) said the home is a community; they don't want to be split up.

Staff member - one resident was born in Bathford and has always lived in the village. She hoped to stay in the Bathford for the rest of her life but now faces the prospect of being moved elsewhere.

DS - there are some givens in this situation. All of you with a permanent job with the Council have employment rights and if possible will be offered other council posts. All residents with placements in the home will be found alternative places to live.

Staff comment - But there are not enough night jobs for the number of staff.

Richard Gurney (UNISON) - needs more than a gesture. Staff need something tangible, the offer of supernumerary posts and/or release for training.

Ainslie - it would be naïve of me to say you could all have supernumerary jobs. If the opening of St John's Court is out of synchronisation with any closure, then some supernumerary posts could be recommended but certainly not all.

Joy Davis - Considering closure of two homes means that two lots of staff will be in competition with each other for any other jobs.

Staff comment - you train us, then we have to fight for jobs.

Staff member - what about places for all the hospital discharges? Can't they take up the places? DS - that is going to cause problems. Only those with non-nursing needs can be admitted to B&NES homes at present.

DS - estimates of future need meant that we provide the same number of places as we have at present. Extracare will fill the gap between living independently and residential care.

Staff member - you want residents to stay in their own homes.

Staff member - to leave a 93 year old with Alzheimer's in his or her own home is disgusting.

Staff member - announcing the possible closure was an awful thing to do just before Christmas. Joy Davis - it had to fit in with the Council meetings schedule.

DS - we need to do staff interviews to provide information for members. Ainslie - the personnel team is willing to meet with staff whenever it is convenient. She will send a list of suggested dates for `surgeries'.

Staff member - Greenacres staff felt betrayed.

Ainslie - I worked with Greenacres staff and that was not the impression I formed.

Staff member - how can we trust you now?

DS - As I said at the beginning of the meeting I take responsibility for saying there would be no interim move but the situation has changed from the way it was at our original meeting.

Meeting closed