Creating a more flexible and person-centred service for day opportunities

[RBWM Press Release]

Proposals to give residents and carers more choice and flexibility over the kind of day services and opportunities available across the Royal Borough were agreed by Cabinet on 25 November.
Day services – also known as day opportunities – include activities, services and day centres for adults with dementia, learning disabilities and additional complex needs who need care and support, as well as their carers who may need respite services.
 

Following a needs analysis and extensive public consultation during the summer, including with residents who use the services and their families, Cabinet has approved a more flexible and person-centred service, tailored to individual needs and aspirations, that supports independence and choices in the community.
 

Windsor Day Centre and Oakbridge Day Centre will close, with Boyn Grove retained as a day centre for older people and people with learning disabilities. For people with a learning disability who need a building-based service in the Windsor area, a smaller building-based day centre will be available at the Mencap building.
 

When day centres closed during Covid, the council worked closely with voluntary organisations to implement different support by increasing the use of community resources. Windsor Day Centre remains closed due to lack of demand, and people are now either supported in the community or have transferred to Boyn Grove.
 

For older people, Windsor also has the Spencer Denney Day Centre run by Age Concern Windsor, and The Old Windsor Day Centre run by Age Concern Slough and Berkshire East, which both already receive grants from the council.
 

The new approach will start to be implemented this December, with the intention of being fully operational by next summer. The council will support residents and families through the transition.
 

The council will also have the land at Windsor Day Centre and Oakbridge Day Centre to secure accommodation for young people with complex needs, so they can continue to be housed in their local area, close to their family, local support networks and services.
 

Councillor Stuart Carroll, cabinet member for adult social care, said: “Many people who use these services had, even before the consultation, expressed an appetite for more community-based opportunities and a broader range of activities better tailored to their needs and aspirations.
 

“Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation. Not everyone wants or needs to be supported predominately in a static day centre. Every resident’s needs and aspirations are unique, attitudes and ambitions are changing: so our service must adapt and broaden to better meet those and provide a range of opportunities.
 

“While we’re maintaining some buildings-based provision in Windsor where there was clear demand, we’ll be providing a more flexible and personalised service, where people can access a wider range of activities in the community with others of similar ages, interests and needs, supporting people’s independence and choice.”
 

The Cabinet decision on Thursday 25 November is subject to call-in by Scrutiny.