UPDATED: Council to outsource assisted living schemes and save £300,000 a year

Officers at the council have concluded the borough's three Extra Care Housing Schemes need to be changed to improve the quality of care for residents following a 90-day consultation.

Their recommendation to outsource the schemes was approved by the health and social care scrutiny committee and cabinet at Wigan Town Hall on Thursday.

The consultation revealed that residents are experiencing social isolation, there is a lack of community connections, carers have limited time with residents and care plans and meal times are restrictive.

Elmridge Court on Robson Way, Lowton, is one of three assisted living developments that will be affected by the decision made on Thursday.

The schemes currently cost £781,000 a year to run.

Outsourcing them will save the council £321,000 a year as it looks to make cuts of £5.1 million over the next three years through the Deal for Adult Social Care and Wellbeing.

Jo Willmott, assistant director for provider management and market development at the council, said: “Wigan Council has consulted extensively with residents and families who live in our extra care services across the borough. They gave a strong endorsement of these principles.

“We are therefore developing a new and responsive model of extra care that focusses on people’s wider happiness and wellbeing.

“As part of concentrating our in-house services on supporting people with complex and challenging needs we will work with the innovative external providers on our ethical community services framework to develop and deliver this new service. “We would like to thank staff and customers for their engagement throughout this process and will continue to work with them as we move to the new model."

The consultation involved workforce and trade unions, residents, families, carers and the housing providers.

The other assisted living developments in the Extra Care Housing Schemes are Wigan's Eliot Gardens and Wickham Hall.