Meeting documents

WOODSIDE - Meeting with Staff - 20 April 2004

Present:

DS asked everyone to introduce themselves. He said that his report would go to the Executive Committee on 5 May. The report was released to staff, residents and relatives at Tyndale at 4pm today to coincide with the start of the meetings at Woodside. Only parts of the report relevant to Tyndale had been discussed there yesterday. Copies of the report are available here today.

The recommendation is for Woodside to be closed. DS said there was no easier way to give this news, but that he would like to talk through the contents of the report. The recommendations explain why the current situation has arisen and contain information on the legal issues, a table of hours of work, and updated figures. It also considers the impacts on residents and their families and staff, especially in the light of DS's previous statement that there would be no interim move for residents.

The report will be discussed at the Executive Committee meeting on 5 May. There will then be a calling-in period of ten days to allow other councillors to consider the issues if they wish. If the report is `called-in' there will be a delay of between six weeks and two months. The time scale for potential closure therefore, ranges from the end of May through to August/September.

The Council has a responsibility to provide suitable and reasonable alternative employment for staff. The report contains a table showing how many vacant hours are available, how many hours are required and the appropriate surplus or shortfall. These figures are a mathematical exercise showing the overall position.

For day staff there are 340 vacant hours, 362 are needed so there is a shortfall of 22; for night staff 93 vacant hours, 157 needed - a shortfall of 64. Senior support workers hours match at 48 vacant, 48 needed, as do manager's hours. Vacant hours for domestic staff are 110, we need 81; for cooks 73, need 87. Admin hours are 20 vacant and 20 needed. Day hours include the extra required at Sunnyside, night hours do not include St John's Court where 140-160 will be required. The Domiciliary Care service is also being re-organised so there may be some suitable hours there.

If the report is agreed we propose to use the period from now to the autumn, when St John's Court opens, to carry out training. We will need staff to cover for those on training, annual leave and sickness absence so there should be ample opportunity for work within the current system. An NVQ Assessor role needs filling, there is a surplus of domestic staff and a shortfall in the number of cooks, but with some retirements planned we should be able to make the appropriate matches for everyone.

The report, written as at 10 April, shows 23 residents in Woodside and 19 in Tyndale. Of the 24 Woodside residents 2 have moved to the independent sector, 1 is in hospital and 1, unfortunately, has died, leaving a total of 19. In the other five Council homes there are currently 42 vacancies and 6 respite beds. That means we have approximately 34 residents to place. 6 have indicated they wish to go into the independent sector, the remainder to B&NES homes.

DS invited questions from staff.

Q. How long will it be before residents move?

A. DS - Our past experience at Greenacres shows that when a decision is made on closure, residents want to move quickly. We need a one-to-one process with staff, which could take two weeks, so maybe 2-3 months overall.

Q. Will the decision be made on 5 May?

A. DS - it is difficult to say, we are optimistic

Q. What about Midsomer Norton?

A. DS - We are talking to the planners about the Greenacres site. Sheltered housing is being built on Council land instead of on the adjacent Somer land, but this relates to the way funding is allocated, and still provides the same capacity

Q. Is there an opening date for St John's Court?

A. DS - Not a definite date. There will probably be a gap between closure of Woodside and the opening of St John's Court, but that is when we will do training

Chris Price, GMB representative, said the Unions were happy with the report in general, although had some reservations about the length of the gap

Q. What happens to the sites after closure?

A. DS - They will be sold. Sometimes a parcel of land is worth more with a building on it, sometimes without a building, but we will take advice on the best way to maximise the income from the sale

Q. When do we make our preferences known?

A. DS - at the one-to-one discussions with personnel. If everyone wants the same job, then selection will have to be made. MW - the one-to-one interview is where you make your preference known

Q. Concerned about the gap between closure and the opening of St John's Court

A. Chris Price - There will be a meeting with trade union representatives on Friday at 2.30pm where this can be discussed

Q. The recommendation for closure was expected, so it is not a total surprise

A. DS - We have all known for some time the wider plan that all the homes will close, but it is difficult helping people to hold on to a vision of the bigger plan in this situation

Q. The difficulty is that the vision is different, broken.

A. DS - Yes, I know some believe that but what I said about no interim move was true at the time, and things that have changed. Plans are moving ahead, however, and we are all in at the start of a new way of caring, a model for others to follow

Q. Is the money still there to fund it?

A. DS - Paul Crossley, the Leader of the Council, is absolutely committed to the plan. We have been awarded £1.3million for nursing care and are doing innovative things that will change the face of registered care. It is a big investment of time, energy and skills

A staff member said that they felt the meetings and explanations had made things easier for them to understand. TR expressed his thanks to DS for the comprehensive response to his letter. Staff had all seen the reply and felt it had been extremely helpful.

DS said he was glad it had been useful, and felt everyone was being very positive about the future. He hoped that in time training would include modules relating to occupational therapy and physiotherapy which could provide a springboard for staff to develop their skills.