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The home has closed five years after a successful campaign to save it
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Care home closure confirmed by council

By Pete Castle
May 20, 2011

CAMPAIGNERS have reacted with anger at a decision to close Meadowcroft, Aldershot’s respite care home for disabled people.

At a meeting on Monday, Tory leaders of Hampshire County Council ignored the pleas of hundreds of people in the town, deciding to go ahead with plans to shut the facility.

The decision, part of an overhaul of adult social services in Hampshire, means that families who want respite breaks from caring for severely disabled relatives face an uncertain future.

Currently, 22 families from Aldershot use the three-bedroom Meadowcroft home in Aldershot Park to provide respite care for one weekend every six weeks.

Social care bosses said that those wishing to access respite care in another home will now have to travel to Basingstoke to the four-bedroom Dalewood home.

However, with another home in Andover also due to be closed, families think they will only get access to around half as many respite breaks – with only four weekends a year when they might be given a break from caring for their severely disabled relatives.

Cllr Felicity Hindson, the executive member for adult social care, promised that a new care home will be built for the north of Hampshire “somewhere near Basingstoke”. However, she was unable to say where or when the new facility will be completed – or even begun.

Campaigners had argued that the Aldershot home should not close until the new facility was up and running, saying that a rushed closure of Meadowcroft would lead to unnecessary suffering for the people who relied on its services.

Ted Parker, chairman of Parkside – the Aldershot and district branch of disability charity Mencap – said that families in the town were “really, really disappointed”.

Despite all the families’ efforts, the council’s cuts plan had effectively been rubber-stamped by council leaders, ignoring pleas of more than 500 people who signed a petition against the closure, he said.

He added that the only change that seemed to have been made to the plan was a further blow – cutting the size of the promised future facility from an eight-bedroom to a six-bedroom home.

In a statement, Cllr Hindson claimed the cuts were part of 'exciting' proposals.

“We have listened to what people with learning disabilities have told us – that they want to live ordinary lives, they want jobs and their own homes – and this will mean continuing to provide services, but in new, and different ways,” she said.

“There will be no reduction in the level of service available, only in the way it is delivered.”

She said current respite buildings in Aldershot were not suitable – an argument rejected by families, who say there is nothing wrong with the facilities.

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In view of the latest scandals involving some of Hampshires care suppliers It might be interesting to know if there are any ex Blackstone/Southern Cross employees in the county council moving this closure program along, again to the detriment of the people of Hampshires care needs. If this were to be the case I would think the Co council might be wise to review the position of such employees. Will these closures be a case of close and sell or close and mothball. As for cllr Hindson she has listened and stuck two fingers up to the concerned parents of these disabled people that have miraculously managed to "inform her of their desires to live ordinary lives with jobs," other"ordinary people" are having difficulty finding along with homes. Im sure they do wish they could lead ordinary lives but these are people with learning difficulties that can be taken advantage of abused and as we have seen recently beaten by uncaring individuals. Hopefully cllr Hindson will herself be looking for new employment soon.