Council closing meals service for the elderly

Cheshire East has written to residents a Handforth old folks home to advise its proposed closure of their home’s restaurant.

The letter to all residents at Oakmere Extra Care Housing, in Handforth, states the council’s school catering service, which provides the meals, proposes to wind down its operations by January 3rd, 2025.

Many of the residents, some with dementia, rely on the restaurant for their main meal.

Cash-strapped Cheshire East voted at the children’s committee in April to close the school meals service next year.

However, a number of councillors who attended meetings where the closure was discussed are furious, stating they were unaware it would impact the extra care housing, which is run by Avantage.

Conservative group leader Janet Clowes, who is not a committee member but was present at both meetings when the discussion took place, said: “I can confirm that at no time were any definitive decisions made by children and families (C&F) committee members to cease catering services to the extra care facilities at Oakmere and Willowmere – nor should they have been.

“Indeed, the April C&F committee report was very clear. [It says] ‘separate discussions are on-going with adult services in relation to the extra care housing service who currently use the school catering team to provide food in two locations; Oakmere and Willowmere’.”

Cllr Clowes continued: “These discussions are outside the remit of the children and families committee and, under the council’s own constitution, must therefore be presented to the adult and health committee for final determination.”

A furious Cllr Jos Saunders (Poynton, Con), who is a member of the C&F committee, said: “We could not take a vote on something whereby separate discussions were still ongoing with adult services in relation to the catering services at Oakmere and Willowmere.

“What we were being asked to take a decision on was the impact on schools catering.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Cheshire East several questions about this decision-making process including:

• If ‘separate discussions are ongoing’ with another department, how can a committee make a decision before those discussions have finished?
• Why did the children’s committee make a decision which will affect so many elderly people?
• Why was the feedback from the consultation to schools reported to the committee but they were not given any feedback from the elderly residents impacted?
• There is no mention in the recommendation of the extra care facilities, but there is reference to schools. Why is this?
• When were adult services made aware of any of this?

The council did not answer any of these questions.

Instead, a Cheshire East spokesperson said: “The council acknowledges the concerns raised regarding the proposed closure of the restaurant at Oakmere in Handforth.

“We understand that this decision has caused anxiety among residents and their families but it’s important to clarify that the decision to wind down the School Catering Service, which unfortunately includes the service provided at two extra care sites at Oakmere and Willowmere, was made following a comprehensive review of the service.

“This review considered various factors, including operational efficiency, financial sustainability, and the evolving needs of our residents.

“While we recognise that this change may impact residents, we want to assure everyone that we are still committed to providing high-quality care and support.”

He added: “The council has not made a long-term decision to close the restaurants in the extra care schemes and is seeking alternative provision which will still meet the needs of those residents.

“It is actively working with partners to explore food provision options for Oakmere and Willowmere residents and these will be carefully considered to ensure they meet the specific needs and preferences of the residents.

“We understand that the process of change can be unsettling, and will continue to engage with residents, their families, and staff to address any concerns and provide support throughout this transition.

“Further updates will be provided as soon as more information becomes available.”

What isn’t clear at present is if and how many Macclesfield care homes could be affected.