York Road Oakhaven older persons home plans announced

Will be replaced with an “extra care” facility.

Oakhaven site plan – click to enlarge

Following a public consultation exercise, the Council is being recommended to go ahead with the conversion of the Oakhaven care home site on York Road into an “extra care” facility.

The City is gearing up to meet an expected 50% increase in the number of residents who will be aged over 75 by 2030.

This forms part of the Council’s plan to provide, by the end of 2018, 525 new units of accommodation of which 343 will serve those with high care needs including dementia. “225 out of date care beds will be replaced”.

Another home – Grove House on Penleys Grove Street – will also be closed. That site will be sold in order to finance the improvements at other facilities for the elderly.

A report, being considered on Thursday, acknowledges that most “extra care” facilities are located on the east of the Ouse. However it fails to recognise the demand for more accommodation for elderly people on the Lowfields school site.

Instead in a separate report the Council is being asked to develop such facilities at the Burnholme school site.

Report fails to recognise the demand to establish more accommodation for elderly people on the Lowfields school site

Report fails to recognise the need for more accommodation for elderly people on the Lowfields school site, which has been left empty and derelict by the Council for over 3 years.

On Lowfields the report says, “The use of the Lowfields site for specialist accommodation with care for older people has been the subject of previous procurement which concluded that such development was unaffordable. However, we continue to examine the use of this site to meet housing, health and care objectives”.

Which means officials have made no progress on marketing the site?

The Oakhaven replacement will provide only 50 of the 525 beds needed to satisfy demand in the City

The papers reveal that the Council will not run the replacement facility at Oakhaven.

Instead it will seek a “partner” to fund, build and operate the extra care scheme. The Council is also relying on another private sector home being constructed at the Terry’s factory site (which received planning permission last week).

It will also sell off the Windsor House home in Ascot Way.

The consultation exercise concluded, “That 97% of questionnaire respondents agreed that bigger bedrooms, en-suite facilities, wider corridors and more social space should be key features of residential care homes. Bigger bedrooms give more social space for residents to entertain visitors, they can accommodate the resident’s own furniture and bigger rooms give staff more space in which to work and support residents, particularly where bed hoists need to be used”.

Work on the Oakhaven Extra care home is expected to start in early 2017 and may be available for occupation in May 2018.

Given the Council’s shambolic record on project management, we doubt if we will see any improvements much before the end of the decade.

What’s on: Celebrating Ability Week

Mon 26 Oct – Sun 1 Nov

The Sport and Active Leisure team this year have partnered up with Voluntary Sports Clubs and organisations that will be opening up their doors at their home venues for you to try out their sports. Further to this, there will be additional training courses and open days tailored to Visually Impaired and Deaf or hard of hearing individuals.

For programme details please visit www.york.gov.uk/celebratingability

To find information or book on to the available courses please contact-

E: wdu@york.gov.uk

W: http://tinyurl.com/q7oygpe

Simply turn up to the sporting activities available, for further information contact Hannah Higginson on 01904 551431 or at hannah.higginson@york.gov.uk .

The BIG draw at York Minster

Mon 26 – Fri 30 Oct: 10.00am – 4.00pm

Once again, York Minster is pleased to host a week of Big Draw activity during the Autumn half term break (Monday October 26th – Friday October 30th inclusive).

This year’s Big Draw theme – Every Drawing Tells a Story – could hardly be more appropriate in a building whose wealth of medieval carving, stained glass and people have been telling stories for centuries!

The daily sessions will run from 10.00 until 16.00, with the last issue of materials at 15.30.

The drawing station will be in the North transept, below the Five Sisters’ Window, but participants will be free to work throughout the cathedral. There is no charge for materials or to take part, but normal admissions apply.

These sessions are open to anyone of whatever age or experience, and participants may take their drawings away with them our leave them for possible inclusion in the accompanying exhibition.