Oxford,
11
April
2017
|
09:25
Europe/London

Vast majority of voluntary day centres set for transition funding from September

Day centres across Oxfordshire are set to be benefit from more than £300,000 of transitional funding as the county looks forward to a new, sustainable model of daytime support that helps people to live independent and fulfilling lives.

Earlier this year the council decided to reconfigure its own directly provided service and come up with a new system for supporting voluntary sector providers.

In total there are around 200 voluntary sector daytime support providers for older people and people with disabilities in Oxfordshire. In excess of 150 of these operate without any financial support from the county council. More than 40 currently receive funding that covers some or all of their costs.

The council wants to support as many of these services as possible to continue, but recognises this is a decision for those organisations. The vast majority have applied for transition funding from the £300,000 budget set aside by council in February. Only six have not bid for funding, two of them because they decided they are ready to continue without support from the council.

All but one were assessed by the cross-party panel as meeting the criteria to receive funding, and a final decision will be taken by the county council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Councillor Judith Heathcoat, on April 19.

The transition funding will support these voluntary sector providers from September to March, as they action their plans to become more self-sustaining. Later in 2017 they will once again be able to bid for £250,000 of transitional funding in 2018/19, as well as funding from two further grants pots – a Sustainability Fund and an Innovation Fund.

Which services are proposed for transition funding

Age UK run day centres are proposed for a combined £98,000 of funding:

  • Bluebells, Henley

  • Burford Lunch Club

  • Kidlington Area Day Centre

  • Kingsmoor Day Centre, Hinton Waldrist

  • Oakwood Centre, Faringdon
  • Share Care Day Centre, Holton

  • St Francis Court, Headington/Anchor Court, Oxford – two services which are merging.

Daybreak Oxford run day centres are proposed for a combined £50,000 of funding:

  • The Lilacs, Kidlington

  • The Limes, Oxford

  • Rosewood, Oxford

Other providers:

  • Berinsfield Voluntary Day Centre £10,106

  • Bromsgrove Day Centre, Faringdon £6,800

  • Carterton Day Centre £9,500

  • Chalgrove Day Centre £8,000

  • Charlbury Day Centre £3,742

  • Chinnor Day Centre £8,000

  • Cluster Care Group, Banbury £4,500

  • Eynsham Day Centre £2,625

  • Goring and District Community Centre Lunch Club £2,900

  • Grove Day Centre for the Elderly £7,000

  • Hanborough and District Day Centre £6,378

  • Highlands Day Centre, Chipping Norton £5,000

  • Hook Norton Day Centre, £2,625

  • The October Club, Wantage £14,000

  • Chinese Community Day Centre, Oxford £7978

  • Happy Place Day Centre, Oxford £3,300

  • Cornhill, Banbury £2,625

  • West Way Day Centre, Botley £5,466

  • St Mary’s Thursday Club, Bloxham £4,786

  • Stonesfield Lunch Club £2,906

  • Thame and District Day Centre £12,500

  • The Thursday Social Club, Watlington £2,500

  • Watlington and District Age Concern Drop In £1,500

  • Windmill Thursday Club/Deddington Day Centre £5,000

  • Wychwoods Day Centre £3,390

  • Volunteer Link Up £14,625

The services who have decided they do not need to bid to continue to operate

  • Bampton Bush Day Centre

  • Fielding Lunch Club, Sibford Gower

The services who have not made a bid

  • Leonard Cheshire Disability (open access self-help group)

  • Leonard Cheshire Disability (Tryard Disability Group)

  • Order of St John, Lake House, Adderbury

  • The Alzheimers Society, Abingdon service

Cholsey Day Centre does not quality for funding as it has reserves of £340,000.

The information provided in the application for Marston Court, provided by Order of St John Care Trust, was not sufficient to evaluate the bid. Further information has been requested.

How will the council’s own service be configured?

  • The county council is continuing to provide a core service for people who are eligible for social care support, which makes sure they have the care and support they need. This is planned to be a countywide service with an annual budget of £4.5m and a wide range of flexible, costed support options. The council will replace its current Health and Wellbeing Centres and Learning Disability Daytime Support services (22 building-based services) with eight new bases at the Abbey Centre, Abingdon; Redlands in Banbury; Bicester Health and Wellbeing Centre; The Meadows in Didcot; Oxford Options; High Street, Wallingford; Witney Resource Centre and the Charlton Centre in Wantage.

  • These bases will run from October and would be subject to ongoing review in terms of locations. People with different needs will be supported in the same buildings but there would be a range of different spaces and facilities to meet different needs and interests.

  • The plans include transport to and from services for everybody who is eligible for it or who chooses to purchase it.

  • The council-funded Dementia Support Service provides support to people with dementia and their families across Oxfordshire through Dementia Advisors. It provides face-to-face support to an average of 120 people per week. This service will continue to be funded.

  • The council-funded Wellbeing and Employment Service, “OxForward” provides support to people over the age of 18 with learning disabilities, autism and physical disabilities. It supports 700 people each year providing opportunities such as moving in to and maintaining volunteering roles and employment. This will continue with its existing budget.

  • The council will continue to work with the Age UK provided Community Information Network service. The Community Information Network is working with people affected by the changes, to help manage a personalised transition from current daytime support services for those people who do not have eligible needs/ who choose not to use the new service.

  • In addition the council will be permanently investing £25,000 a year in training for services around dementia and autism and £100,000 a year in enabling people to make choices about the use of their personal budgets.