Hampshire County Council are proposing to stop running the Older Adult’s Day Service at Newman Court in Basingstoke: Proposal: Older Adults' Day Services | About the Council | Hampshire County Council

We believe Hampshire County Council have significantly understated the importance of the work undertaken at Newman Court.  They state that "day care services provide a range of individual and group activities (e.g. crafts, exercise, singing) together with personal care."

What this doesn't convey is the huge mental and physical health benefits to the people who use this service. The service also provides vital respite for the families of the service users, provides a space where various health professionals can be accessed, and performs important safeguarding functions (e.g. Helping to prevent and identify financial abuse). Other private services available are more expensive (to those who have to pay) and the staff there often cannot provide the same level of personal care. 

The consultation states that "The number of older adults using day care funded by the County Council has reduced by more than half over the past 7 years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2017 there were approximately 600 people accessing these services; today the number is around 250." What is not mentioned is that this number is currently rising, that before COVID there were actually waiting lists for the service, and that there were 2 years post-COVID where admissions were paused. There is still a huge demand for such services, and we believe that if HCC was committed to the service it would be possible to run it at full capacity.

Retaining this service is the right thing for Hampshire to do morally and socially, but it's also the right thing from a long-term financial perspective. By closing, or ceasing to run both Newman Court and Chesil Lodge in Winchester, HCC hope to save £250,000 per year. This sum will not make the slightest difference to whether or not the Council is forced to issue a Section 114 notice in 2026/27. More importantly though, day services help prevent the need for vulnerable older people to enter residential care, and can also alleviate pressures on the NHS. It is short-sighted in the extreme for such services to be closed in order to make immediate savings.

Please sign this petition to call on Hampshire County Council to retain this service in-house for the benefit of some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Please also make sure to respond to HCC's public consultation here: Hampshire County Council Future Services Consultation – Spring 2025 | About the Council | Hampshire County Council The consultation closes on 7th May