THIS is a copy of a letter sent to the North Yorkshire Council Executive  from the 26 members of staff employed at Neville House, Gargrave. The home currently has seven residents. 

 

WITH regards to the proposals to close Neville House in the autumn and develop a site on Eshton Road for 32 Extra Care housing units, we would respectfully ask you to consider the following:

Neville House has been a vital resource to Gargrave and the outlying community for 60 years. The home provides 24-hour care and support, respite for carers, a place of safety and a solution to domestic breakdown. We give some the strength and confidence to move forward with their life and others a compassionate home to the very last moment of life.

As a small home in a large, rural setting, we are flexible and responsive to the needs of our ageing community. We are active in all aspects of village life and have firmly forged friendships with community groups.

We join our neighbours weekly at the community centre, host worship services monthly with the village church and get together regularly with the primary and pre-school children. We host social events and help to combat the isolation and loneliness that many people experience in later life. We are within walking distance of all local amenities and public transport links.

Conversely, the site on Eshton Road is a green field with no utilities and scant pedestrian or public transport access.

We have been informed that extensive research indicates that this community needs a 32-unit Extra Care housing facility.

Providing services to those in need in a rural setting brings a unique set of challenges.

Previously, Eshton Hall itself was a residential home for those needing care and its isolated location effectively made it a closed institution, problematic to staff and ultimately unprofitable.

We are a forward thinking and enthusiastic workforce, unafraid of change, but for change to have any merit, it needs to generate progress.

We were informed by the Extra Care development team in October 2021 that after several years, the council had been unable to interest any providers in developing the Eshton Road site.

The proposal to close Neville House before a provider of Extra Care accommodation has even been agreed upon will leave this community without any resource for an indeterminate length of time.

Neville House stands on a sizeable plot of land which extends the length of the Crescent from the community centre to the edge of Neville Road. There are two semi-detached houses, empty and unused for many years, and extensive gardens and outbuildings on this site.

Developing Neville House, and 34/36 Neville Crescent would ensure all those with extra care needs would be able to live in the heart of the community with access to local facilities and village life would preserve this much needed asset for Gargrave and the surrounding area in the future.

The decision made by senior managers to keep the home under-occupied and deny many who have sought permanent residency here may have created a false impression of the necessity of this resource. It is our concern that in order to secure a desired outcome, the impact on those in need in Gargrave and surrounding villages has not been fully considered.

This team would like the opportunity to continue to support this community to our true capacity until such a time as an alternative can be provided.

It is for this reason that collectively, the staff team at Neville House oppose this proposal and respectfully request that members of the Executive defer their decision until these points have been fully explored.

The staff team,

Neville House Gargrave

 

In response, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for health and adult services, Councillor Michael Harrison, said: “We have recognised that Neville House, which is home to seven residents, is a much-loved facility. There are a number of colleagues employed by the council whose contribution to the provision of service is appreciated and valued.

“After careful consideration, it was agreed that the home should close on a planned basis, with the remaining residents being offered a move to a new home and care staff having the opportunity for other roles in the adult social care service.

“We will be looking at future options for the site, but it is too early to make commitments at this stage. As well as developing extra care in Gargrave, we will also be looking to test the market for the provision of supported housing for younger adults.”