Beech Close – Latest

At the Desborough Town Council meeting on the 8^th December there was a presentation by North Northants Council about the future of Beech Close by David Watts, Executive Director of Adults, Communities and Wellbeing (DASS )and other senior officers along with Cllr Helen Harrison, Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing.

The presentation focused on the document ‘Transforming NNC Adult Social Care Provider Services’ dated  September 2022 (follow the link below to find a copy of the document)

Transforming North Northamptonshire Council’s Adult Social Care Provider Services – Consultation Questionnaire – North Northamptonshire Council – Citizen Space

It was clear from the presentation that North Northants Council is, in effect, pulling out of any long term provision for elderly people. In future their provision will primarily be focused on –

• Transitions from children’s to adult services.
• Transforming Care Programme (complex learning disabilities cases).
• Physical disabilities where people have had life changing events or degenerative.

This means that even if Beech Close were to be extended and upgraded at a cost of several £ millions it would never again be a facility for elderly residents that it has been in the past.

Representatives of the council didn’t see this as a problem and claimed that there were currently 199 places available in care homes within a 10 mile radius of Desborough. They also rejected any suggestion that this would have a serious impact on Kettering General Hospital in terms of getting people out of the hospital and freeing up beds.

Factors in making the decision regarding the lack of maintenance of the property and the lack of adequate staff training over the years were blamed on the former bankrupt and defunct Northants County Council. The suggestion being that the fault lay with ‘that lot’ though it was pointed out that for many of us it looks very much like the ‘same lot’ who are in charge (if you vote for the same people you may well get the same outcomes in terms of local services and facilities).

So another service is cut back, another facility will be closed and Desborough loses again.