Councillors chose a plan ending in fewer day centre buildings, though users ranked no change first. Four centres need £765,185 of repairs.
Wirral Council has approved a two-year plan to change how it runs day services for adults with care needs. The report behind it says the borough will end up with fewer dedicated day centre buildings.
The Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee agreed the plan at Wallasey Town Hall on 15 September (Wirral View). The council’s announcement says there will be no immediate closures.
The committee report goes further than the announcement. It names the centres needing repairs, puts a price on them, and records that the option people who use the service liked best was not the one chosen (committee report, Wirral Council).
Who uses the service
The council provides day services for 571 adults with an assessed care need. Of those, 475 have a learning disability or autism.
- 315 people use the council’s own in-house service
- 160 are supported by commissioned providers
- most are aged 25 to 65; only 8% are under 25 and 9% over 65
The in-house service runs about 2,218 sessions a week from eight locations. Three are vocational sites. Five are traditional day centres.
The report says four of those five traditional centres need repairs and further investment.
What was decided
The committee approved “Option 2: Retain and Refocus” for the first 12 months. The plan is to move from “day services” to “day opportunities” by 31 March 2028.
Under that option, specialist building-based support stays for people with the most complex needs. People with mild to moderate needs would be offered more community-based support, direct payments and personal budgets. The report says 365 people, or 64% of those using day services, have mild to moderate needs.
The report sets out where the council wants to be by March 2029:
- fewer dedicated day service buildings
- greater use of leisure centres, libraries and community hubs
- more support paid through direct payments and personal budgets
After the first year, the council intends to move towards Option 3. That would commission flexible support for people with mild to moderate needs and keep buildings for those with complex needs. The report says this depends on “further co-production and review”.
The option people chose was not the one picked
A 12-week consultation ran from 16 February to 11 May and drew 602 responses. The biggest group, 54%, were people who use the service. 302 of the 315 people using the in-house service took part.
Respondents ranked the four options. Option 1, keeping the current model, came first, with an average score of 3.36. Option 2 scored 3.25. A fully flexible model, Option 4, came last at 1.36 (consultation report, Wirral Council).
Other answers point the same way:
- 79.1% said support in a day service building helps them have a good day
- 68.5% said they feel confident doing activities in the community only with support
- 71.4% said they were not interested in direct payments, against 18.1% who were
- asked what matters most, the most common answer was continuity and stability, at 57.9%
The report accepts that Option 1 was “the most popular with current service users and carers”. It rejects it because it “would not address” national policy, people’s changing expectations or “the significant investment required across parts of the current estate”.
The centres and the repair bills
The consultation asked people which centre they attend. It listed eight settings:
| Centre | Share of responses |
|---|---|
| Eastham Day Centre | 20.6% |
| Cambridge Road Day Centre | 17.5% |
| Dale Farm Day Centre | 15.8% |
| Highcroft Day Centre | 15.0% |
| Oakenholt Day Centre | 12.7% |
| Best Bites, West Kirby Concourse | 11.3% |
| Royden Park Project | 9.9% |
| Pensby Wood Centre | 7.6% |
Condition surveys found essential repairs and maintenance at four centres, totalling £765,185.
- Eastham: £329,915, plus £330,000 for renovations already approved by the Policy and Resources Committee
- Cambridge Road: £171,870
- Highcroft: £160,350
- Oakenholt: £103,050
Eastham has a defined future. It is to be upgraded as provision for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and other high, complex and severe needs. The capital works are estimated at £0.9m, due by March 2028. The report calls Eastham “one of two assets” needed for that group, but does not name the other.
The report does not say which other buildings will close or when. Phase 2, due by 31 March 2028, is to “consolidate remaining building-based assets, aligned to assessed need and community hub opportunities”.
The vocational projects are set to grow. The report names Dale, Royden and Best Bites for expanded vocational, volunteering and supported employment work.
Money and staff
The in-house service has a net budget of £5.035m. That is before this year’s pay award, and 89% of it goes on staff.
The report says any staffing changes would be managed through vacancy controls and voluntary redundancy, “to avoid, as far as possible, the need for compulsory redundancies”. A workforce consultation is part of Phase 1. The council also says it will need extra assessment staff to review everyone who uses the service.
What happens next
Phase 1 runs to 31 March 2027. It includes:
- a personalised review and individual transition plan for each person using day services
- new commissioning frameworks for day opportunities, short breaks and supported living
- easier processes for direct payments and personal budgets
- the workforce consultation and a service redesign
Phase 2 runs to 31 March 2028. It covers the new staffing structure, the Eastham upgrade and the consolidation of the remaining buildings.
A reference group of people who use the service, families, carers and staff will feed into later reports to the committee. The council has published an equality impact assessment and says it will update it as changes are made (equality impact assessments, Wirral Council).
What it means for you
- If you or a relative use a council day centre: nothing closes straight away. Expect a personalised review and a transition plan before 31 March 2027.
- If your centre is Eastham: it is being kept and upgraded as a specialist centre for people with complex needs.
- If your centre is Cambridge Road, Highcroft or Oakenholt: the report lists repair bills for each but makes no decision on their future. The consolidation of buildings is set for Phase 2, by March 2028.
- If you want a say: the council says the reference group will involve people who use services, families and carers. Ask your social worker or centre how to join.
- If you are considering direct payments: the council plans to make them easier to set up during Phase 1.
Councillor Sue Powell-Wilde, who chairs the committee, said in the council’s announcement: “That’s why we’ve agreed an approach that allows change to happen gradually and carefully.”
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