A £173m proposal to transform the future of nursing and specialist care accommodation in Hampshire includes the closure of seven care homes.

Hampshire County Council hopes to open three new nursing homes and expand the care at three existing ones while shutting seven others and withdrawing care services from another three over the next five to six years.

Suggested closures include 36-bed residential home Bishop's Waltham House in the short-term and Westholme in Harestock, which provides long-term and respite care for up to 67 people, after 2026.

Cornerways Care Home in Kings Worthy is one of three new nursing homes that would open under the plans. The home in Church Lane closed in 2012 because the rooms were not up to modern social care standards. Councillors have since called for the facility to be used to home Ukrainian refugees.

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Cabinet will be asked to approve the opening of a formal public consultation on the proposals to be held from the beginning of September 2023, which will run for 10 weeks.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Rob Humby, said: “Over the next eight years, we expect to see the number of Hampshire residents aged 85 plus to increase by 22 per cent – that’s an extra 62,000 people.

“While our ageing lives are to be celebrated, we are seeing many people developing illnesses and living their later years in ill health, many with complex conditions, including dementia.

“Hampshire is one of only a handful of county councils nationally to run our own network of care homes – but difficult choices face us as to where to focus our finite resources.

“Our adult social care service is therefore proposing to concentrate on the delivery of specialist nursing care, complex dementia care and short-term support – to either prevent a hospital admission or support a hospital discharge. This would not only meet the needs of a growing number of older people in Hampshire in the longer term but would be care that could be provided more cost-effectively in-house. 

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“It is understood that the proposed move away from providing long-term in-house residential care for those with more standard needs, would have personal implications for many. Cabinet will therefore carefully consider the rationale put forward for this, as part of our deliberations.” 

The findings from the formal public consultation process would be considered by the Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee in January prior to the Executive Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health taking any formal decisions, on the specific proposals, no earlier than February.

Annually, the County Council sources care home places for around 1,600 clients, with more than three quarters going into private care homes. The investment proposals would enable a similar ratio of care provision to be maintained.
 
Other authority led adult social care support services such as care provided in people’s homes and Extra Care housing, would not be affected by the plans.