There have been calls for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council not to close a care home as part of its wider plans for residential care for the elderly. Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd Heledd Fychan, who represents South Wales Central, and Ioan Bellin, who was a Plaid Cymru candidate at the latest local elections, voiced their opposition to plans to shut the Garth Olwg care home in Church Village.
They said that Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has earmarked Garth Olwg Care Home for closure in the new year “in a cruel move that would mean moving the elderly and vulnerable residents, who are cared for there by an excellent team of dedicated staff, to locations further away from their community.” The proposals for Garth Olwg would see the council create accommodation to provide care for people with learning disabilities which would involve the redevelopment of Garth Olwg Care Home.
The council said the care home would be closed when suitable placements are found for its residents, in a home of their choice which meets their needs.
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The wider plans also include 40 extra care apartments and 20 residential dementia beds in Treorchy near the Ystrad Fechan care home which is temporarily closed with no residents and would be permanently closed under the plans. The plans would also see 20 extra care apartments and 10 residential dementia beds created in Ferndale which would be located on land near the existing Ferndale House Care Home and this would be closed when the new facility is finished.
Another part of the plans is for 25 extra care apartments and 15 residential dementia beds in Mountain Ash on land near the existing Troedyrhiw Care Home which would be closed when the new facility is developed. Five current council care homes would be kept including Clydach Court in Trealaw, Pentre House, Tegfan in Trecynon, Cae Glas in Hawthorn and Parc Newydd in Talbot Green.
Heledd Fychan MS said: “Garth Olwg Care Home has been serving the community for nearly 60 years and has given excellent service those in its care. Labour promised to keep the care home open during the local elections in May, yet only a few months later the Labour council is already going back on their promises.”
“In a cynical move, reminiscent of Leighton Andrews protesting the closure of a local school in Pentre following his own legislation to close schools, the local Labour councillor has started a petition to save the home. When residential social care provisions are so scarce across the borough the council needs to reconsider their proposals and save Garth Olwg Care home”
Plaid Cymru’s Ioan Bellin who is campaigning alongside Heledd Fychan MS to save the care home will be raising a question to Llantwit Fardre Community Council in their next meeting on December 19 in a bid to understand what discussions the community council have had with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council regarding the future of the care home. Speaking prior to the meeting Mr Bellin said: “People are sick of broken promises by elected politicians and this decision about closing Garth Olwg care home by the cabinet of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is another example.
“Just a few months ago Labour councillors stood on their record and claimed that they had saved Garth Olwg. Now when people are preparing for Christmas their colleagues slip this consultation out to shut down Garth Olwg as a residential care home in the hope that people won’t notice. I encourage everyone to make their opposition to this known, people power made the council reconsider their decision to close Garth Olwg before so we can do it again. People will remember this broken promise at the next election as well.”
In response, Councillor Gareth Caple RCT’s cabinet member for heath and social care said it is currently consulting upon major proposals to invest in residential care services, including three new facilities offering extra care and dementia care, a fourth new accommodation for adults with learning disabilities at Garth Olwg Care Home, and the retention of five council care homes. He said: “The redevelopment of Garth Olwg would provide new accommodation and care for people with learning disabilities in adulthood, in Church Village. Under these proposals the care home would be decommissioned when suitable placements are found for its residents, in a home of their choice which meets their assessed needs.
“Modernising and improving its adult care provision is a key council priority, in response to an ageing population, lower demand for ‘traditional’ care homes and changing expectations of the service users in the future. The status quo is not an option if we are to proactively respond to needs of future older generations; for this reasons it is disappointing for some elected representatives to seek to score political points around these proposals, which are aimed at transforming and investing in social care. There has also been a significant increase in surplus beds at our care homes – with 109 vacancies in comparison to just eight in 2016. This is a national trend, exacerbated by the pandemic and only expected to continue. There is now a far greater demand for nursing and specialist placements, as well as domiciliary care for people who wish to live in their own homes.
“As part of the proposals, there would be two extra care schemes, two council care home, plus independent sector care homes within a five-mile radius of the current Garth Olwg care home. The council runs nine residential care homes offering 267 beds, making it one of the largest local authority providers in Wales. Under the proposals out to consultation, the council would remain in the care home market, with care accommodation for older people geographically located across the county borough with more choice for residents who can live independently with support, and for those who require a specialist provision.
“The value of this substantial investment, in modernising our care provision, in such harsh and difficult financial times for the benefit of our older generation, demonstrates the importance of changes these proposals seek to deliver in accommodation and care for the future. Cabinet will consider the feedback received through the extensive consultation process currently underway before taking a decisions upon these proposals.”
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