Derbyshire care homes once again under threat of closure
10 January 2022 | News
Derbyshire Conservatives have once again placed Ladycross and other care homes across the county under threat of closure.
Given the very recent history of identical events, it may come as some surprise that Ladycross House, Sandiacre, is once again (along with 6 other Derbyshire homes) “under consultation” by Derbyshire County Council, with two of the three options being closure.
The residents of Ladycross have already felt their future become unstable when closure loomed back in May 2020 in the midst of a pandemic. With limited contact with loved ones and families, the emotional strain caused by Conservative leadership in Derbyshire will have undoubtedly left a tainted, timeless mark on the memories of elderly residents.
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, visited Ladycross back in April 2021 to thank the campaigners who helped save – so we thought – this cornerstone of the Sandiacre community from closure, ensuring stability for its residents for whom it is home. Speaking to social media, Rayner said:
“…the Tories on the County Council wanted to close these care homes and turf out the elderly people, that war generation that looked after us. They’ve spent £7million on consultancies over the last four years, which could have, quite frankly, gone into looking after our elderly people. It’s a disgrace and I’m sure the people of Derbyshire will make sure that the Conservatives do not get back onto the County Council.”
Rayner’s visit came just before the May 2021 elections, and speaking almost prophetically, she warned that “If they do [get onto the Council again] we’ll be out here again trying to stop them trying to close and turf the elderly people out of their homes again.”
Now, with the current consultation ending on Friday 4th March (not Monday 4th, as the Derbyshire County Council website inaccurately states), we are once again fighting so that our residents do not have to “move to available alternative provision which may not be local” as per the ‘options to be considered’ as detailed here.
Along with Ladycross, elderly people in West Hallam, Clowne, Tibshelf, Brimington, New Mills and Bakewell will be growing concerned, once again, over where they will live, who with and for how long, until the next consultation inevitably comes along so long as there is a Conservative council.
The milder, but equally detrimental, options for these communities include temporarily moving for 40 weeks (the equivalent of a whole school year) whilst renovations are made, or moving permanently to another suitable “local” home “within 10 miles”. With our ever-fragmented public transport in Derbyshire and national increases to fuel costs, how will these residents be able to settle in new villages and towns, miles from their family members and support networks?
With dwindling relatives to champion Ladycross (there has been a curb from Derbyshire County Council in accepting new residents, so as to loosen these campaigns), it’s even more important than last time that we join together to let Derbyshire County Council know that Lasdycross will stay.
Please register to attend the virtual public meeting taking place via Microsoft Teams on Thursday January 20th at 6:30pm which you can book onto by emailing telladultcare@derbyshire.gov.uk and also take three minutes to fill in the short survey here.
