AMAZING IS IT NOT THAT POSH APPARTMENTS CAN BE PROVIDED TO THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THEM.
HAVE A STROKE AND NEED HELP?
WE HAVE NOWHERE IN NORTH LIVERPOOL TO HELP YOU SORRY!!
VENMORE HOUSE
SEE BELOW FOR DAILY POST REPORT.
WRITE TO YOUR COUNCILLORS AND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT TO OBJECT!
WHY?
IT MAY BE YOU, AT ANY TIME IN YOUR LIFE, THAT YOU MAY NEED TO USE SUCH A FACILITY AND NEED OTHERS TO PROVIDE YOUR BASIC NEEDS.
MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT FACILITY NOW!
Award-winning services may be lost if home closes
Sep 15 2006
By Jessica Shaughnessy Daily Post Staff
Venmore House, in Everton
The threatened closure of a day centre and residential home for the elderly last night prompted fears for the future of its award-winning services.
Venmore House, in Everton, provides pioneering care for stroke victims, and staff are worried that its shutdown will mean the loss of a vital health facility.
Liverpool City Council says it needs to move residents from the home as it will soon become the centre of a building site when Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMR) work begins in the area.
It says it plans to replace Venmore with improved services in an elderly people's village, which will not be completed until 2009.
But executive member for health and social care, Cllr Dave Antrobus, last night said the stroke services will be taken elsewhere. He said: "It is something the Primary Care Trust will need to follow-up and they have made the commitment to do that.
"At the end of the day, buildings on all sides of the site will be knocked down and rebuilt. Vulnerable people should not have to sit through that kind of disruption.
"There is going to be a new elderly village in the area, which in the long term will provide much better accommodation and services."
The council announced its proposals to close the home in December at a briefing last night, and wants to begin consultation.
The residential unit at Venmore houses 19 elderly people, while the day care centre welcomes up to 70 people a day.
Though managers have already been notified, staff at Venmore will not be told until a meeting later today.
Politicians and union representatives have attacked the council for making the announcement without warning.
Cllr Antrobus added: "We were not sure whether the money would come through from Arena Housing Association for the elderly village, so we were not able to tell anyone, but that has now happened.
"All service users will be fully assessed before alternative arrangements are made for them and they will all have a place in the elderly village.
"It is understandable that people will be worried, and this has implications for jobs, but we have an unofficial policy not to make any redundancies. On top of everything else, there is a shortage of carers and we would not want to lose anybody."
GMB Union convener for council employees, Roy Gladden, last night said staff fear for the people they care for and their families. He said: "There is a real concern that families will collapse around this.
"The centre provides vital respite care for families and the truth is there are not enough alternative services to go round.
"The elderly village will not be completed until 2009, what are these people going to do until then?
Cllr Antrobus added: "We were not sure whether the money would come through from Arena Housing Association for the elderly village, so we were not able to tell anyone, but that has now happened.
"All service users will be fully assessed before alternative arrangements are made for them and they will all have a place in the elderly village.
"It is understandable that people will be worried, and this has implications for jobs, but we have an unofficial policy not to make any redundancies. On top of everything else, there is a shortage of carers and we would not want to lose anybody."
GMB Union convener for council employees, Roy Gladden, last night said staff fear for the people they care for and their families. He said: "There is a real concern that families will collapse around this.
"The centre provides vital respite care for families and the truth is there are not enough alternative services to go round.
"The elderly village will not be completed until 2009, what are these people going to do until then?
Staff have not yet had a formal briefing but the managers are extremely worried, not just for their jobs, but for the future of their clients."
A report on the council's proposals will go before the executive board next Friday.
Everton councillor Jane Corbett said last night: "These proposals have come out of the blue."
jessicashaughnessy@dailypost.co.uk
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