Free day services for older people in Maidenhead approved

New day services to be introduced in Maidenhead later this year will offer free admission for older people and a more streamlined system at lower cost to the council.

The decision to introduce the new system was agreed by cabinet when it met last night (Wednesday 27 June).

Key elements of the move include:
• An enhanced free entry day service at Lady Elizabeth House in Boyn Hill Avenue, replacing the day service at Gardner House in Harrow Lane, will be available to the extra care tenants there as well as older people in Maidenhead
• A £50,000 programme of improvements at Lady Elizabeth House will ensure the centre can accommodate day visitors with appropriate and modern facilities
• Some service users will also be able to use the specialist dementia service at the Boyn Grove Community Resource Centre in Courthouse Road.

Day care services with trained care staff at Lady Elizabeth House - which will benefit from a fully equipped kitchen, social facilities and patio garden - will allow more residents to remain independent for longer while receiving support.

As the service will be run by an external not-for-profit provider it will be free to users to attend although travel and lunch will have a charge as with most voluntary sector centres in the borough. By contrast in council-run day centres where high level specialist support is provided service users are charged according to their financial means.

Cllr Simon Dudley, cabinet member for adult and community services, said: "Providing the right care and support for our older residents is of paramount importance and this positive move ensures a quality day service in Maidenhead that works for our residents while also offering a better use of public funds.

"There were some initial concerns about the change from the Gardner House day service users - and I recognise change can be difficult for service users and their families - but we know people were reassured once the new set-up was fully explained and visits arranged, especially about the prospect of freshly cooked meals."

At council in April members listened carefully to concerns about the move. Cabinet took these concerns into consideration while agreeing the benefits of relocating the service - providing better facilities which will benefit the extra care tenants at Lady Elizabeth House and attract more day service users than Gardner House.

The work at Lady Elizabeth House is expected to be completed this summer with the new facility ready for use in the autumn.

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