MP challenges Council to keep Mountview open
Fiona Bruce MP has written to Cheshire East Council arguing that any decision to close Mountview Community Support Centre would be short-sighted, any savings would be short term and would leave the community of Congleton short-changed.
In her letter to the Council Fiona wrote:
“I have received a number of letters from constituents who are concerned about the proposals on the part of Cheshire East Council to consider closure of Mountview. As you may also be aware, this is in addition the subject of considerable press interest in Congleton on a weekly basis with numerous letters having been published in the press.
I, therefore, considered it right and proper that I acquainted myself with the facilities at Mountview before making any personal or public comment, other than I have sent on some of the residents communications to me to the Council.
I, therefore called in at Mountview on Saturday afternoon last, and spent over an hour there.
I have to say that I was much impressed. I met almost every resident currently at Mountview and spoke with many of them. Universally, they were positive about their experience there. One lady, Pam, had actually been, for a long period of her working life, a Cheshire County Council Care Home Manager and had said it had long been her aspiration to stay at Mountview because of the high standard of facilities and care there.
Other residents spoke positively of the personal care which they receive and of the good relationships with the Cheshire East staff. Many were very concerned about, indeed deeply opposed to, the possibility of Mountview closing.
I was particularly struck with the variety of needs which staff at Mountview accommodate – whether caring for someone transitioning from hospital back to home, those who were still living independently but needed extra support from time to time to enable them to do so, those staying at Mountview to give their families respite and those with longer term needs.
If as Cheshire East says, it is committed to offering choice in its provision then this would appear to offer a form of support which would be a loss to the Congleton community if it were to close down.
Many of the residents said that if Mountview closes, they would, if they could obtain similar provision have to travel some distance, for example to Crewe, and that would make a material difference to them and those visiting and ongoing support their families can provide whilst resident at Mountview.
The facilities struck me as far from dated! This was a purpose built property which has been maintained to a very high standard – certainly as high as any I have seen whether in the public or private sectors. The bathrooms were fresh and clean with sophisticated recently added hoist equipment and the fact that they are not en-suite was not something which appeared to concern anyone. All the bedrooms I saw had, in any event their own sinks and were clean and spacious and I cannot think that the fact that bedrooms are not en suite could possibly justify the closure of this facility (I know this has been cited as a facility shortfall, but in my view it is minor).
I noted the ‘family atmosphere’ in the living rooms and dining areas and the layout of the building providing for these for groups of residents, I felt it was a very positive arrangement and not one I had seen before in quite this layout.
Access would not appear to be a problem – there is a lift, level access from the car park and level outside sitting areas, which although near the main road are secure.
I also saw the Day Centre facilities and whilst not able to speak with any users of these facilities was again impressed with their clean and modern appearance – both in terms of the structure and furnishings.
The staff I spoke to were positive and caring about their roles and informed me that there is some interaction with the local community such as children from local schools/Brownies (although I felt that this is something which could possibly be developed).
I noted that areas of the facility were currently under occupied and was surprised at this bearing in mind that I frequently receive pleas from constituents at my surgeries for additional care support or respite care whilst they seek to care for (particularly younger) less able relatives. I have to say I did wonder whether management of the facility in terms of referring users to it could be improved.
With this need for respite care and with the increase in the already high elderly population in my constituency and more widely across Cheshire East – something which the Council has asked me to highlight in the House of Commons as a major concern – and which I have done – I am frankly amazed that the Council could be considering closure of Mountview. There may well be other types of provision which the Council may wish to promote – whether care at home or in the independent sector or otherwise – but I do not believe that, whatever the budget constraints, this should be at the expense of losing this valuable and purpose built and well maintained local facility.
Indeed, such budget savings as maybe calculated could well prove short term, since it is clear that Mountview enables many people to remain either living independently or with their families. Without the boost which respite care such as that at Mountview provides, many of the residents (not to mention those who receive day care) may need to be permanently housed and cared for by the Council, with the attendant exponential additional costs.
I should be most grateful if you would be good enough to respond to this letter by close of business on Friday 22nd March in view of the fact that a number of constituents are seeking public comments from me, but I felt it only right to communicate my views and concerns to the Council first and to give you an opportunity to respond.
Finally, please accept this as my submission to the current consultation. Local concerns in respect of these proposals should not be underestimated.”
A response from Cheshire East Council has been received today, 22nd March, to the following effect:
“We are currently in consultation over the future of Mountview Community Support Centre in Congleton. Some information that went out as part of a recent budget report to our Council Meeting on February 28 talked about the closure of Mountview. We should have been clearer that this is actually about the future use of the building. Whilst closure is an option, it is not the only option available. This was an error on our part, we should have been clearer, and for this we apologise.
We are absolutely committed to a meaningful consultation with service users and local people about the future of Mountview. We are looking at how we can provide better services, better facilities and to better meet the needs of local people. To make this happen, we are looking at finding new sources of funding to get the best we can for the people that use Mountview.
There is some key information in the pack that I hope will be helpful to you and your constituents:
-No decision has been made and the proposal is subject to full consultation. All options for Mountview continue to be considered.
-All customers of Mountview will continue to have their care needs met if a decision to close Mountview were the final outcome.
-Where and how that need could be met will be carefully planned and may include other Council run facilities or independent sector provision. This would be planned in the light of individual circumstances; the customer would be fully involved.
-A series of one-to-one meetings with customers and their family members/carers are taking place over the next four weeks (dates and how to book these were included in a letter sent to all customers at the start of consultation). It would be helpful if you could encourage anyone who is a current customer to come to one of these meetings so that their concerns can be fully explored and the Council can reassure them that their care needs will continue to be met. If any customers are unable to attend any of the meetings, arrangements will be made to suit them.
There are a couple of comments within your letter which may not be directly addressed in the information pack, namely:
-Mountview is a purpose built facility, however, it has been identified as being the least able to be developed in the future. There is little scope for adaptation and expansion at Mountview compared to other Council Community Support centres.
-The capacity at Mountview is dependent on the care needs of the customers at the centre in attendance at any one time. Some customers will require one to one staff care, whereas others will not. This means that the capacity at Mountview can alter from week to week dependent on the levels of care required by individuals and the consequent staffing requirements for those customers.
-Accessibility at Mountview has not been identified as a reason for the proposal.”
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