News & Views on the Community Blog

I heard the same when in town today and appartently there will be a official anouncment in a few days to say why is it closing but I understand its something to do with the council doubling the rent and they cant afford to keep it open after march.

More info on the possible closure of the James Day Home over on:

swanageview.blogspot.com/.../...home-to-close.html

I see the swanageview story copy and paste system is working well!

So correct me if I am wrong, but I followed the link to the other site and there's nothing there but waffle?

No actual facts again.

There is a protest meeting organised outside James Day home at 2.30 on Thursday 4th Feb, please attend and show your support for the residents and staff.

Update on www.care-south.co.uk/.../residential-home.php

James Day Home in Swanage set for closure following rent review
Following the outcome of a rent review, Care South has advised Dorset County Council, the landlord, that it is no longer viable to continue to run James Day Home in Swanage as a residential home for older people. Following independent determination the rent has been increased by over 30% and the home will be handed back. Under the terms of the lease Dorset County Council require vacant possession and Care South will be working closely with the Council to ensure that residents are found a suitable new placement and are safeguarded throughout this process.

Chief Executive of Care South, Susan Willoughby said: "We are sorry that this situation exists and has come about by the increase in rent, which is beyond our control. Payments for residents supported by local authorities do not contribute sufficiently to the cost of care and demand for the type of home such as James Day is no longer paramount. James Day Home is one of the older homes and whilst quite comfortable it is of an old style with no en suite facilities and no longer meets the need of the community.

Competition now offers en suite facilities and caters for dementia and nursing in order to cope with the greater frailty of older people when they enter residential care. Because of its limitations we have had difficulty over a number of years attracting residents and a higher rent makes it impossible. We will, of course do everything we can to make all moves as easy as we can for residents and will offer everyone a place in another Care South home as close to James Day Home as we are able."

Steve Clements, Acting Director for Adult and Community Services at Dorset County Council said: "We will be working in partnership with Care South to ensure that all residents and their families are advised as soon as possible and are given the opportunity to choose another suitable home. Our first concern is for the residents of James Day Home and we want to ensure that we arrange the best possible care for them in the future.

Every effort will be made to place residents in homes in Swanage or the surrounding area or an alternative location of their choice. Our staff will be working closely with the residents and their families on an individual basis to give them intensive support to help them find alternative placements which best meet their needs. We want to keep everyone informed throughout the process and will make arrangements for residents and their relatives to be able to contact appropriate staff for guidance and advice.

Whilst it's sad that James Day Home will be closing, it offers the opportunity for a service more appropriate to meet people's need to be put in place for the people of Swanage and the surrounding area. This could include offering a better standard of accommodation for those who choose to live in residential care and providing a different type of service for others. An increasing number of older people are now choosing to remain in their own homes with the help of improved care services in the community rather than move into residential care. It is extremely important that, as a council, we understand these changing trends and adapt our provision accordingly as part of our commitment to valuing all our residents."

Plans are in place to consult with everyone concerned, including relatives and staff, and a closure plan has been carefully drafted to safeguard the health and well-being of the residents of James Day Home. Care South and Dorset County Council will ensure adequate planning and preparation time prior to the closure, and will be seeking to avoid any move during the winter months.

"We are very conscious that this notification of the closure of James Day Home is the second one for Care South as a result of rent review. The Board does this with regret and seeks to assure everyone that there will be no further closures.

Care South will continue its strategy of rebuild, new build and acquisition to meet the needs of older people which lie in dementia and nursing en suite facilities for the future.

It remains paramount that all involved are safeguarded throughout the closure process and Care South are fully committed to this" says Felicity Irwin, Chairman

It is suggested by Care South that the DCC rent increase has been the major factor behind their decision. The rent increase, suggested to be 30%, was set by an independent tribunal and brings it into line with similar care homes throughout Dorset. In other words, Care South have been enjoying the benefit of an unusually low rent for some considerable time. My sources suggest that Care South had increased imposed on some of their other care homes by more than this figure, without causing them to close down.

The JDH is only half full. Of the 22 residents, about one half are paid for by the DCC and the remainder privately funded. It has been suggested that at the last formal inspection by the Care Quality Council, the JDH achieved a rating of "Poor" as a result of which the DCC quite naturally stopped funding new entrants to the home. Ask yourself - would you send your elderly relatives to a home rated "Poor" ?

The buildings are old and do not meet present-day requirements for such institutions. It is a shame that the DCC as landlords and Care South as tenants/managers cannot get together and make the necessary investment to bring it up to the required standards. But apparently this idea is a non-runner. Why? Is it not incumbent upon the DCC to ensure that their income-generating assets are properly maintained ?

Or could it be that the DCC, quite realising that Care South would almost immediately give notice to quit, will then also realise that they have an empty property which could generate a good deal more funds by being sold off for building ? And I can't see 'affordable homes' being built in this particular area of Swanage, can you ?

And Care South are oK too, they can simply move the remaining residents - apparently in haphazard fashion - to their other home across the county, "filling up the corners" , regardless of the effect on said residents and their relatives.

So its a win-win situation. For everyone except the residents and relatives of The James Day Home in Swanage.

There's more to this than meets the eye - believe me. Watch the Gazette !

At one of the residents/relatives meetings (only two residents capable of attending)and listening to two hours of eveasive answers given to any question put to them, it became perfectly clear the DCC and Care South Executives had their own agenda about why they want to close James Day. If they want to turn James Day into a dedicated Care home for residents with dementia they should have the decency to say so, instead of waffling on about rent increases, leases and James Day no longer being a "viable" concern to run as a care home. What about all their other homes who have rent increase and are staying open? It is about PEOPLE - NOT COMMODITIES. The vast majority of the residents have dementia, no how the figures are juggled and percentages adhered to. Of the 20 or so residents there only 3/4 who are mentally stable but physically unable to care for themselves. The impact this closure is going to have on them will be devastating. The plan is to move them in"Friendship Groups". How ridiculous is that when it is difficult enough to find a single placement for these vulnerable people. The ones that are 'funded' have even less choice. All this by the end of March/beg April. It is feared that many of these residents will not survive the move. Like the previous commentor there is more to this closure than just more rent increases, etc. I might add that the impact this is having on the relatives concerned is also having a devastating effect

The link below is the latest report where the home was graded as poor becuase some paperwork was not up to date.
62.73.173.233/.../...0026826.V2000057266.R01.S.pdf
If the grading was due to poor standard of care of the residents I could see why it is closing but to get a poor rating due to paperwork seems over the top

The home got a bad report because there was no management after April 2009. The home had a rempoary management tean until August. The new manager has a hotel background so it would seem that James Day was up for the chop several months back with the poor report being the scapegoat for the chop. If Care South is a charity why do they do minimal fundraising yet the directors have the flash cars and big houses. Care South is simply registered as a charity to allow corruption and tax evasion to be carried out. The residents will not survive the stress of relocation, so Susan Willoughby and the other directirs have blood on their hands. There should be a public vote of no confidence in Susan Willoughby and care south for abandoning James Day. Dimentia is on the increase and so the demand for homes will increase accordingly. There are prospective clients waiting to come to James Day but it seems the directors want to close it as the thought that the home could loose money for a short period while they fill it with residents could be to much. Heaven forbid they might have to make a payment on the yacht or sports carone month out of their own funds and not the proceeds of corruption. Care South is there to provide a service, not make money for fat cats and their executive toys. Hopefully there will be sufficient cover in the press to expose the corrupt company that Care South is and hopefully the whole company will collapse and be taken back into control by Dorset CC. Every year rent goes up, fuel goes up, living goes up but we all have to find the means to accomodate these increases. Care South just give up. It's barbaric that the news started to leak across Swanage on Monday yet it was Thursday when the families and residents were officially told by which time the rumours were rife and everyone knew anyway. They even tried to move protesters on even though they were on the pavement outside the grounds on public property. Low and behold, over the weekend there is no management in sight at the home, so they are really fighting the clousure with pride and passion. They probably knew of the closure months ago and have their new jobs lined up ready to go. To summarise, Care South is corrupt, they have no concern for the welfare of clients or their families and they are happy to commit manslaughter by kicking residents out of their home. There should be a vote of no confidence in Susan Willoughby and care south. This is the second home to close in months. This is only the start, Care South have over expanded and like a deck of cards it's starting to collapse. Get rid of care south and get a government body to run the company. At least the residents would get the care they deserve.        

It's good to see so many people caring enough about this issue to contribute to this blog. Virtual-Swanage.co.uk is here for everyone to use and let's hope that it can make a valid and positive contribution to what is going to be a huge issue for Swanage. But why so many anonymous posts ? Come on, guys, if everypone knows who everyone is then you have the nucleus of an action group. If everyone remain anonymous then it's just so much hot air and bad words.

What you need right now is someone with the guts and dynamism of Geraldine Norris - who has already won some major battles with the County Council. Or even better, a County Councillor prepared to stand up and lead an action group. I wonder where we can find one .......

There seem to be a lot of false statements from people who really don't know what they are talking about. It is true that James Day obtained a 'poor' rating from CQC (due to PAPERWORK issues and not the CARE the residents receive) maybe this was thanks to Care South who left the home with temporary management, changing every few weeks for a number of months. However, since the new manager began, the home has been turned around, money has been spent on improvements and thanks to the hard work of all the staff, the home received an 'adequate' rating in the last inspection in January. New residents have been moving into the home in the last few weeks and the home would have been full in a few months. Only a few months ago the staff were congratulated by Care South for all their hard work and were told that James Day would be 'an excellence in dementia care home' the following year (2010). The home, albeit, 'mature' is not 'old and does not meet present-day requirements for such institutions' as one person has commented. What are present day requirements? En suite, heated swimming pool? The manual handling aids do fit in the rooms, there hasn't been a problem up until now. CQC also inspect the building and there has been no negative comment from them. Another comment I have read is 'news started to leak across Swanage on Monday yet it was Thursday when the families and residents were officially told' This is incorrect as all the staff and residents families received a letter by post which arrived on Tuesday morning. The news came as a bombshell for everyone, staff and residents families. Another comment 'over the weekend there is no management in sight',incorrect, there is always management seven days a week, if not the manager, a deputy or a Care Team Manager. The decision to close James Day is, as always, due to money and power.

I do not live in Swanage but visit most of the summer. I have a relative in a nursing home. Yes every room has en suit. 90% of residents can't use them because of incapacity. I have never seen the point in haveing them. Inspections do not take into account the contentment of clients.

A meeting will be held at the United Reformed Church on Wednesday 10th Feb at 7.00pm to form a commitee to Save James Day and to meet with Councillors, please attend if you can and support James Day and Swanage.

In answer to the question why are so many people remaining anonymous, it's beacuse they are either a furious relative or a furious employee. The blurb that starts with  "There seem to be a lot of false statements from people who really don't know what they are talking about" Has clearly been written by some cretin from Care South. "Care Team Managers" are there to give the care that the residients need. The manager and deputy are there to deal with politics and manure.

So this is what it has come to! The anonymous quote on 9/2/10 at 22.18.......Name Calling!!!! instead of dealing with the issue at hand and trying to save James Day!!! I think you will find the Care Team Managers are there as management in the absence of the Manager and Deputy. Care Team managers are there to oversee the running of the home and the care that the residents receive from the carers and are more than capable of doing this!!.

I think given that it will close, it begs the question what will happen afterwards?

Having worked in nursing and care homes for many years, even if the 'poor' rating was only in relation to 'paperwork', this means that the home is NOT appropriate to house vulnerable elderly patients

Correct paperwork, whether we like it or not, is imperative in homes such as James Day - the correct, necessary care cannot be appropriately given if paperwork is not continuously up to date and accurate - some horrible mistakes can occur when paperwork is not kept correctly.
I would not put my own parents nor advise anyone else to put relatives in a home that keeps poor paperwork as this WILL lead to terrible and costly mistakes being made in the care of people who are reliant on staff to keep up to date records and kardexs.
Care South, for whatever reason, have obviously left James Day on the bottom on a very messy pile and no excuse can be made for them - the home SHOULD be closed and offered to alternative care organisations to take over, update and reopen. Anyone suggesting that Care South remain in charge and residents stay in their care has very low standards of expectation when it comes to care of the elderly.

Has anyone dug into the history of this property deep enough to find out why it's actually called the 'James Day Home' ? Was the land given or willed with any specific covenant from the donor requiring it to remain a nursing or old-people's home in perpetuity ? Because that might well prevent the DCC from closing it as such and selling it for building.

It was interesting to be told by a member of staff that some of the residents would "probably not survive a move". I wonder therefore whether if any of said residents do actually pass away during or immediately after the disruption, whether anyone could be held to account ? Anyone got any legal knowledge out there ?

But in the meantime, such words as 'corruption', 'manslaughter' and 'cretin' are inflammatory and surely cannot help in any dialogue designed to bring about a satisfactory conclusion to this sad affair. So, let's do what we can to help the cause, but try to retain some semblance of good manners and dignity. We may despise Care South for what they're doing, but they're people the same as us.

Watch the next "Purbeck Gazette" for lots of correspondence and feedback on this issue.