Lincoln House Reprieve Achieved!

Closure decision reversed

Following pressure from carers of older people across Cheshire East, including from Audlem Carers' Support Group, Cheshire East Executive Board has recently decided to keep Lincoln House open for a further year.

This decision was made at the Executive Board meeting despite an earlier press release from the Council indicating that the Board was to consider a recommendation to close Lincoln House by March 2015.

Lincoln House in Crewe is a valuable community resource centre for older people and their carers which provides a range of services including emergency and planned respite, rehabilitation and post hospital care to help people to return home safely.

It has been, and hopefully will be into the future, a much valued resource with experienced and dedicated care staff. The building was fully renovated only recently to better provide for people with dementia.

ADCA pressure

Audlem Carers' Support Group members expressed a hope at its recent meeting with Cllrs. Janet Clowes and Rachel Bailey that Lincoln House could continue to operate into the future as many local carers rely on it for good quality respite for their loved ones and didn't mind how
far they had to travel to access such a good service.

Our local group also stressed the importance of respite being available in crisis situations and this has now been included, alongside planned respite care, in the Council's response to the consultation undertaken on the future provision of residential respite.

Local voluntary groups, including Audlem & District Community Action, will continue to urge Cheshire East Council to consider keeping Lincoln House open as part of its overall respite, carers and dementia strategies perhaps with the help of funding from Health Commissioners
from South Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Certainly, the experience of many people in Audlem and the surrounding rural area is that Lincoln House services have helped to maintain people living in their own homes or return home from hospital.

Lincoln House also helps to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and, because of this, it is hoped that local health commissioners can consider jointly funding Lincoln House beds into the future to help the Council with what are increasing costs in social care in a climate of continued national reductions in funding to local authorities.

Cheshire East Council does face an increasing demand for social care services, including for respite care, given the ageing population and the Council's proactive policy of actively supporting the increasing number of carers with a wider range of services.

Shared Lives Initiative

The Council is developing new carers services including 'Shared Lives' which helps families with home based support. The Council also devotes significant resources to supporting Cheshire Carers' Centre and the services they provide as well as local voluntary groups which support carers such as Audlem Carers' Support Group.

It is to be hoped that during the coming year, the Council will now review the overall cost effectiveness and wider benefits of maintaining Lincoln House services into the future, perhaps jointly with the health service.

Further information

For more information on local carers services please click here

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