Protests fail to halt closure plan at Clitheroe Community Hospital (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Protests fail to halt closure plan at Clitheroe Community Hospital

10:59am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News

A DAY support centre at an East Lancashire hospital is scheduled to close — despite protests from users and carers.

Around £30,000 will be saved by Lancashire County Council with the removal of the day centre at Clitheroe Community Hospital.

It is the latest site, after the removal of day centres at Colne’s Stanley Villas, Bacup Resource Centre and Accrington Wellbeing Centre, to be lost.

County council bosses said that only 15 out of the 30 places were currently occupied at the Clitheroe centre, which has been run on a contract basis for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust since 2005.

But nearly half of the remaining users, and two carers, who took part in a consultation exercise on its future, were adamant they did not want the service to close.

One centre user suggested that an increase in fees for day centre activities had been responsible for the falling numbers.

However a recommendation has been made to County Coun Mike Calvert, adult and community services cabinet member, that the scheme should be closed down from April 30.

County council adult and community services director Richard Jones said in a report: “There is other local daytime support on offer that the remaining customers and carers could be offered to meet their social care needs.”

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