Closure of Wellington House, Brighton, would be 'devastating'

Brighton and Hove City Council has proposed the closure of Wellington House in Wellington Street, Brighton, to save £400,000.

The savings were included in the draft budget and agreed at the budget meeting on Thursday, February 26.

It will be subject to a 12-week consultation. Deputy leader of the council Jacob Taylor said that if the day centre remained open, the council would have to find the savings elsewhere in the adult social care budget.

Clare Gilmartin’s son Liam, who has severe learning disabilities, attends Wellington House, which is the “only respite he has”.

Clare's son Liam at Wellington House (Image: Clare Gilmartin)

Ms Gilmartin, 46, said: “It’s a real lifeline for everyone.

“The team is second to none. They know how to read between the lines.

“They know how to read Liam and communicate in a way that suits him.

“That takes time, patience and skill. The proposed closure has been very stressful.”

She added that “a lot of anger and frustration is coming from what Councillor Mitchie Alexander said” at a recent council meeting and she wants her to visit Wellington House.

“She says their needs will be met through other services in the city,” Ms Gilmartin added.

Clare and Liam (Image: Clare Gilmartin)

“It’s almost offensive for her to presume that would work.

“I would love for my son to go somewhere like Cafe Dominica but he has not got the capacity to do that.

“We have made contact with the other day centres and they’re all full.

“The council seems to be doubling its allocation problem. I wish she would come along and see. It’s brilliant.”

Gaynor Simmons, 72, is a shared lives carer and looks after a 52-year-old woman who attends Wellington House.

She said the woman attended several other day centres prior to Wellington House, which all closed.

“How can they do this,” she said,

“They think they’re going to save £400,000 but they are going to end up with a bigger bill if our guys do not cope with it. I don’t think they have thought it through.

“She has been through all of them to get there. She's not independent. She needs 24 hour supervision.

“She’s absolutely at ease with people at Wellington House. She’s happy with them.

“She’s profoundly deaf, she finds it difficult to get across what she wants to say.

“She knows she’s going to be understood at Wellington House.

“She feels completely nurtured and safe there. She’s so well cared for.”

Carer Denise Orchard looks after Hayley, 43, who has been attending the day centre since she was 19.

She said: “Wellington House knows her inside out.

“We tried another day centre first and she was terrified of it. She could not cope with the layout. It was noisy, she was frightened and clinging to me, she wouldn’t let go.

Denise Orchard with Hayley (Image: Denise Orchard)

“I knew it wasn’t right for her.

“She has very little speech. It’s usually yes, no, please.

“She calls them all [at Wellington House] her friends.

“This has put a real fear in my mind that she may not cope. It’s devastating.

“There does not seem to be anywhere else where she can get the care she needs. I do not know how she’s going to get the care she’s received at Wellington House.

“It’s going to be absolutely devastating.

“We have got to fight to the end for the people that go there. It’s for their benefit.

“It’s her second home.”

A petition has been started against the proposed closure, which has more than 1,800 signatures at the time of writing. It can be found at change.org/p/save-wellington-house-learning-disability-day-centre-in-brighton-hove

It states: “We urge the council to protect this essential, specialist service for adults with complex learning disabilities and ensure that the city's most vulnerable community members are not forced to pay the price for budget cuts.

“Wellington House is not just a building - it is a lifeline.

“Wellington House supports adults with high-level, complex needs and challenging behaviour. The staff are specialists in de-escalation and safety. Independent providers are often unable or unwilling to take on this level of care.

“For parents and sibling carers, Wellington House provides the only reliable respite in their week. Without it, many families will reach a breaking point, leading to the collapse of home care arrangements.

“Closing this centre to save money today will cost the taxpayer more tomorrow. When these placements fail, the Council will be forced to fund expensive, emergency out-of-area residential care.”

Councillor Mitchie Alexander, cabinet member for communities, equalities, public health and adult social care at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “We are looking at changes to how we deliver some of our day support services for adults.

“This is about ensuring we continue to provide people with high quality support and ensuring sustainability for the future.

“We will be running a full and in-depth consultation. We will be talking to service users, their families and carers, staff and importantly will be working with the city’s other six day opportunity providers.

“Part of the consultation will involve talking to the parents and carers of young people with learning disabilities, so that they can help shape the future for their children who will be needing adult day service provision in the next seven or so years.

“This is the opportunity to shape the future picture of adult day care provision together.

“And only if we are completely satisfied that every single service user can be provided for locally and with the same or a higher level of day care provision will we then move ahead and re-commission the provision for all 21 adults who currently attend Wellington House.

“We will make sure everyone who uses the day centre is helped to find the best alternative support service to meet their needs.”