Adult day service closure is 'devastating'

Rebecca Brooks (left) said the decision will significantly impact her daughter Alice

Two day care centres which host services for adults with learning disabilities and autism in Nottinghamshire are set to be closed down.

Centres Heather Close in Mansfield and Holly Lodge near Newark are due to stop running services from 31 October.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which runs the services on behalf of the county council, said the operation was now costing more money than they receive for it.

Rebecca Brooks, whose daughter Alice attends Heather Close, said the decision was "devastating" for those who use the services.

Ms Brooks, 58, from Warsop, said the decision and was a "body blow". She said there had been "no consultation" on the plans with only a letter coming through the door informing her of the decision.

Alice, 23, attends the Mansfield-based centre three days a week and has done so since she left secondary school.

Ms Brooks described the centre as a "lifeline" which gives her daughter confidence and life skills through activities and days out.

Ms Brooks said she is trying to find alternative support and has not been contacted by the trust or the council

She said Alice, who is severely autistic, will have her routine disrupted which is "extremely important to her".

She added it was not always possible to take Alice into the community because she does not like change, noise or bright lights and that the day service was "brilliant" with "amazing staff".

"This came out of the blue with a letter through the door giving us roughly eight-weeks notice the service would end," she said.

"It said somebody would be in touch, no-one has contacted me.

"It's not just going to devastate Alice, it will devastate all the other people and the families who need and use this service."

Heather Close in Mansfield will cease to offer day services for adults with learning disabilities

Darren Langton, who has set up a petition against the closures, said he intended to present it to Nottinghamshire County Council in the coming weeks.

"There's no alternative provision offered to anyone at all, no consultation on services that are so bespoke there isn't anything similar.

"This seems like the final for these services - we've had remodelling and doing other things differently for many years but now this is the final cut.

"There's no where for people to go after this," he said.

Ifti Majid, chief executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Unfortunately, the delivery model has become unsustainable over time and the cost to run the service is higher than the funding received so, after a period of negotiation, the Trust made the difficult decision not to be considered for the renewal of the contract.

"We want to reassure the people who use these services and their families that Nottinghamshire County Council is currently seeking alternative day service provision or other support for the people who use the services."

Both Nottinghamshire County Council and the NHS trust said they will be "working closely with each person and their family" to facilitate a move over to alternative support arrangements.