Q. Why have there been no recruitment drives to staff the homes?

A. We have advertised vacancies for all the homes, but have had real difficulties in attracting and appointing staff

Q. Any jobs that have been advertised have been for temporary staff. This does not help the situation as most people are looking for permanent positions; they don't want to have the worry of looking for a new job after a few months or maybe a year

A. This is to protect existing staff, but it may be something that we need to review if it is stopping us attracting staff

Q. It appears the new homes are not even planned yet, what happens if planning permission is not granted?

A. DS - Planners have already been consulted as part of the preparation process. We do not expect them to reject the applications when they are made formally.

Q. Do these two sites, Woodside and Tyndale, have to be sold before there is money in the pot to start the new homes?

A. DS - No. They will eventually become part of the financial equation but it is not necessary to sell before we build.

Q. Why close Woodside, it has potential?

A. SS - We looked at all the homes. There are reasons for the others not being considered. Sunnyside caters for residents with dementia and Green Park has residents with mental health problems who would be difficult to place elsewhere. Goldney and Hawthorn House serve residents in the North East Somerset area while Bath City is well catered for with homes. Hawthorn House is on a site that will be used for the new build so residents will have to move while building is in progress. Marjorie Whimster has a stable staff base with few agency staff and is almost full.

Q. What placements are available for staff from Woodside and Tyndale other than Green Park and St Johns Court in Bath and maybe Sunnyside in Peasedown St John? For some employees these homes are too far out, and not everyone wants to go on homecare.

A. We will make available information on vacancies in the other homes and elsewhere in the council. All other vacancies in the council are set out in the bulletin.

Q. What if we have no NVQ qualifications, does this mean that jobs will go to those with various NVQ levels first? And if a job is offered but the candidate feels that the location is not suitable or convenient for them because of family commitments will redundancy be considered?

A. Staff who hold NVQs will be in a better position than those who do not when it comes to interviews. If vacancies exist that staff cannot genuinely get to, or where posts are not suitable, or where there are insufficient posts to place people then we will have to consider redundancy. We will do all we can to avoid redundancy but if we cannot place all the staff we will have no choice.

Q. If Woodside does not close would we be offered contracted full time hours?

A. Staff will only be offered full time hours if these posts exist

Q. We had a casual who would have been willing to take on a temporary contract and was refused, but in the meantime two agency staff have been contracted on a temporary basis, why?

A. I cannot answer this question, I think Yvonne may be able to explain

Q. What advertisements have there been in the press for jobs in the past year?

A. DS asked Yvonne Case to obtain a list of jobs that had been advertised and circulate copies

Q. How many staff will be required in the new homes? Wouldn't it be a good idea for BANES to do an audit of the existing staffs' skills and get as many as possible trained for the new homes when they finally materialise so that if they apply for, or are offered a job, they have the necessary qualifications?

A. Yes it would and that is why we are following the NVQ programme.

Q. Why has so much money been spent on the Spa project, which as yet is still unopened, and yet there is no money to spend on the elderly; surely these people should come first?

A. The money for the spa project comes from a different budget. It is not a Social and Housing Services budget.

Q. Where will all our residents go, are there enough beds in other authority homes for them, or will they be put in private homes?

A. At present we have 44 residents that need placements, and 30+ beds. Not all clients will be suitable for residential care when assessments are carried out but may need nursing care, EMI, or other.

Q. Is it the lack of money making it necessary to close two homes?

A. Looking at the occupancy level at the moment it's not economical to run all seven homes.

Q. How many beds will there be in the new homes?

A. There will be 180 supported beds under the new arrangements, 105 of which will be registered care beds

Q. What will the authority do if it costs £100 per day to keep an elderly person in hospital because of lack of beds in homes?

A. Older people who are in hospital will be assessed in the normal way and placements found for them according to their needs. These may be in our homes or in the independent sector.

Q. How long will it be before the decision is made as to whether Woodside and Tyndale will be closed?

A. When all the assessments are completed a report will be presented to the full Executive. This is likely to be April or May.

Q. Why not keep Woodside and Tyndale open until the new homes are built?

A. Because of under occupancy, the difficulties in attracting staff and the financial viability of the two homes