Age Concern has backed Derbyshire Council's plans to rehouse the elderly in hi-tech flats

Age Concern has backed Derbyshire County Council's plans to close up to 20 care homes and rehouse the elderly in ‘state-of-the-art accommodation’ where they can live independently.

Over the next five to seven years, it plans to make its biggest ever investment in specialist housing, day care and respite services for older people across the county.

The council is planning to replace many of the county's traditional local authority residential homes with modern one and two-bedroomed apartments available at affordable rents or to buy.

However the council insists that any care home closure would only be considered following a separate consultation for each site.

Katy Pugh, chief executive of Age Concern Derbyshire, said: ‘The extra care facilities seem to offer the style of accommodation and support older people want – it is a model successfully used by commercial providers and it appeals to aspiration lifestyles.'

'Providing a number of them geographically spread across Derbyshire offers people opportunities to remain near to their homes and communities and using them as bases for home care, enablement, etc allows Derbyshire County Council to reduce other costs.’

However she added that closure of carehomes ‘is always difficult’ and said: ‘Our advocacy services have participated in care home closures in the city. For people caught up in the process it is extremely distressing and damaging to their health and wellbeing, it also distresses carers and adds to guilt levels.'

'The homes in question fail to meet modern standards and this will only worsen in the future. We all know facilities are only half the story when it comes to a good home but even the best set up and staff can’t compensate for outdated facilities.’

Ms Pugh wants to see a balance of provision so older people and their carers have the maximum choice. ‘Older people involved in care home closures will need advocacy so I hope Derbyshire County Council will make full provision for a variety of housing related support and I hope they will genuinely involve older people and their carers in consideration of what happens to individual homes – my concern about the paper to cabinet is that the closures are considered as essential to the development of the extra care facilities and re-design of the services as this gives residents and staff little chance of coming up with workable alternatives,' she said.

Derbyshire County Council leader, councillor Andrew Lewer called the plans ‘a major leap forward in the way we care for older people’.

He said: ‘We want everyone to have their own front door and live independently for as long as possible. When people need extra support these plans mean they would have more choice and could expect buildings and services that meet modern standards and expectations.’

Councillor Charles Jones, the county council's cabinet member for adult care, added: ‘Our ambition is for older people to have the independence of their own front door but have help and support when they need it. Couples would be able to continue to live together in extra care housing instead of one going into residential care.’

He also promised that care home residents will be supported through any changes.

New state-of-the-art residential care would be available for those with the most complex needs including advanced dementia.’

Under the plans, there will be 1,600 ‘extra care’ one and two-bedroomed apartments in 27 locations across Derbyshire, two new community care centres, two split-site community care centres, new day services and health and wellbeing zones across the county.

There will also be specialist dementia care available.

The extra care developments will be made up of apartments to buy, rent or as shared ownership, where people can live independent lives with their own front door but have support and care on site at all times.

They will have panic buttons to call for on-site help 24 hours a day and sensors to show when someone has got out of bed in the night.

There will be a detailed consultation from April in relation to the first nine residential homes that could be affected by the plan.

These are: Florence Shipley, Heanor; Holmelea, Tibshelf; New Basset House, Shirebrook; Derwent House, Chesterfield; The Spinney, Brimington; Beechcroft, West Hallam; Hazelwood, Cotmanhay; The Dales, Repton; Lady Cross House, Sandiacre.