Many families are already at ‘breaking point’ as funding for the Age UK centres is expected to be cut
Peter Jones and his wife Jane are among those who could be affected by the closures(Image: Tom Mack/Leicester Mercury)
Carers are fearing for the future as two “vital” Leicestershire day care centres which help people with dementia are at risk of closure.
Age UK needs £79,000 a year from the NHS to keep running the day care centres in Birstall and Melton but the annual grant – usually announced in November every year – has yet to be agreed, with only weeks left until the money runs out.
The situation has left many carers who use the centres very fearful. Val Capewell, 83, is the full-time carer for her 93-year-old husband John, who goes to the Age UK day centre in Birstall three days a week.
She said: “It would be horrendous to lose it. I mean it in the nicest possible way but for me, mentally, to have to spend all day every every day caring for him, would be very hard. And he loves it here.”
Val Capewell and her husband, John, who goes to the Birstall day care three times a week(Image: Tom Mack/Leicester Mercury)
Peter Jones, 72, takes his wife Jane to the centre, based in the Birstall Parish Council building on School Lane. He said: “She doesn’t really know who I am and doesn’t talk but I can tell how much she loves it.
“Just being around people in a similar situation gives her a feeling of belonging and for me it’s a chance to go and do some shopping and run errands.
“I feel determined to keep looking after Jane whatever happens but there are other carers here who are on the brink.
“Without this they will crack like a dry stick.”
Mr Jones said the centre closing would lead to more people with dementia going into full-time care, funded by the Government.
“It’s a false economy,” he said.
Tony Donovan, executive director of Age UK in the county, said the financial squeeze on the local NHS – now known as the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland – was behind the potential loss of funding.
Other factors making the situation more desperate include wider issues such as charities struggling for cash, a drop in volunteer numbers since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people with dementia increasing due to longer lifespans and a change in the attitude of sons and daughters regarding care for elderly patients.
He said: “The longer people live, the more chance there is of long-term illness and dementia is the most common one.
“The centres are funded by the Integrated Care Board for the county, which is losing a third of its staff and also making other budget cuts.
“They provide £79,000 a year for the two centres in Birstall and Melton and that hasn’t risen for eight years, despite the inflation we’ve seen.
The Birstall day centre manager Donna Wheatley with Age UK executive director Tony Donovan(Image: Tom Mack/Leicester Mercury)
“We use about £40,000 to £50,000 a year from the money we get from our charity shops and other fundraising to cover the rest of the costs.
“The people whose relatives go to the centres can’t care for them seven days a week and if people have to go into full-time care instead that costs about £1,200 a week per person.”
Mr Donovan said that with the end of the financial year approaching, he expected confirmation of his worst fears in the coming days.
He said: “Over the next few days we expect an announcement.
“This has to survive. We can’t put more money in because we’re facing a deficit ourselves – like so many charities at the moment.”
Donna Wheatley, who works for Age UK and manages the Birstall day care centre, said: “It makes such a big difference for the people who come here and helps alleviate the symptoms of dementia, too.
“So many of their families are already at breaking point. I think if this goes ahead, most of the people here will end up in full-time care.
“We have a huge waiting list. It’s crazy to pull the funding on a vital service when the demand is increasing.”
Mid Leicestershire MP, Peter Bedford, is supporting the Age UK campaign, along with the MP for Melton, Edward Argar. The Melton day centre is based at the Gloucester House Age UK building in the town centre.
Mr Bedford said: “Whilst I understand the huge financial pressures that the ICB is under, I am deeply concerned at the prospect of the loss of the Dementia Day Care Centre in Birstall.
“Alongside Melton & Syston MP Edward Argar, we have met with the ICB to express our reservations at the proposals.
“We continue to make representations to the ICB about this important local service and hope that a solution can be found to preserve it.”
A spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB said: “We are working closely with Age UK and our local authority partners to make sure people living with dementia and their carers continue to receive support.
“Across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, we invest in a wide range of dementia services, including post‑diagnostic advice, carer learning programmes, social groups, memory cafés and close partnership working with Memory Assessment Clinics.
“Supporting people with dementia, and the families who care for them, remains a key priority for our health and care system, and we must ensure we can provide safe and effective services for everyone who needs them.”
