Number of day centres for adults with learning difficulties could be reduced

West Sussex County Council is consulting on the proposals, which it says are not about service closure or reduction but changing them to better meet the needs of residents in the future.

A total of eight premises currently providing day centres or residential homes could be shut, with users accessing services at alternative locations.

The council says that the plan ‘Choices for the Future’, for in-house adult social care used by more than 900 people, will see ‘exactly the same levels of service but delivered in fewer buildings’.

As well as catering for rising demand the council says it wants to improve the choice and control people have through the way they are supported.

The consultation papers state that these are only proposals and a decision will not be made until this summer.

Amanda Jupp, cabinet member for adults and health, said: “We know that changes to adult care services can be unsettling for the people that use them but I am confident these proposals will mean we can meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents in the way they would like.

“As demand for adult social care is increasing, people’s needs are changing and in many cases becoming more complex. In response to differing demands and the inevitable pressures this brings we are changing how we deliver these important services to those who need them.

“These changes require a different approach which is less reliant on the provision of traditional building based activities. While these proposals are wide-ranging, it is important to stress that there will be no reduction in levels of support given to the people who use them.”

But James Walsh