The Cabinet will consider a report this week which recommends investment in Wilmslow's leisure services and facilities to benefit vulnerable adults and their carers.
Councillors will meet on Monday, September 5th, to discuss proposals designed to improve day care, respite care and leisure facilities for older and younger people who are living with complex care needs.
The proposals aim to give people more individual choice and control over how their needs are met. The council also proposes to look at whether the buildings and services are right for people now and in the future.
As part of this process Councillors will discuss closing five care centres, including Dean Row in Wilmslow. The other centres facing uncertain futures are Bexton Court and the Stanley Centre which are both in Knutsford, Peatfields in Macclesfield and Queens Drive in Nantwich.
The day services and short breaks will be transferred from these five centres to Redesmere in Handforth, Hollins View in Macclesfield and Mountview in Congleton, together with the Leisure Centres in Wilmslow and Macclesfield which will all receive investment in order to enhance their facilities and services.
The Council are proposing to invest £40,000 in Wilmslow Leisure Centre to convert a room and provide new changing facilities and toilets. £5000 could also be spent on a minor refurbishment of Redesmere Day Centre in Handforth.
These proposals are consistent with the Council's long-term vision for Adult Social Care of providing services based around: four local independent Living Teams integrated with Health (SMART), two independent Living Centres (North/South), two Dementia Care Centres (North/South), four high-dependency care centres supporting older people, people living with dementia or complex learning or physical disability, a central specialist respite facility based at Mountview for people with complex learning disabilities and four Lifestyle Centres.
Earlier in the year Cheshire East Council announced plans to build new lifestyle centres in Wilmslow, Congleton, Crewe and Macclesfield. Last week the Council confirmed these new lifestyle centres form the heart of Cheshire East Council's plans for new leisure provision and they will be consulting on these plans as part of their proposals to improve adult social care. The Council also confirmed a decision has yet to be made on where to locate the new Wilmslow lifestyle centre.
Councillor Roland Domleo, Cabinet member with responsibility for adult services, says the problem at the moment is that some centres are remote from the community, are poorly attended and are only able to offer a limited range of activities.
He said: "Several are ageing buildings in need of investment to bring them up to modern standards. We are seeing falling attendances as people use their personal budgets to buy their own day care and respite care from providers who are not part of Cheshire East Council.
"Leisure centres are usually located much more conveniently to communities and have the capacity to offer a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities, as well as the traditional pastimes such as art, pottery and cards.
"Future plans could include investment in these sites providing additional facilities such as specially-adapted toilets making them more accessible to the whole community."
Two pilot schemes in Wilmslow and Macclesfield are proving successful. The pilot involves 20 adults with learning disabilities who are taking advantage of swimming lessons, gym sessions, table tennis and internet tuition.
They are also involved in community volunteer projects, helping with neighbourhood gardening and local coffee mornings.
The Cabinet is expected to authorise officers to shortly begin the process of discussing the proposals with service users so that they can contribute to the development and shape of these services. Service users will get to hear about the range of options which could open up to them in the future as part of the Council's ongoing modernisation of social care.The outcome of this will be reported to Cabinet in December 2011.
