Bath and North East Somerset Council has given the parents of young adults with the highest and most complex care needs in the area assurance that they will not be left without the care they need when the “lifeline” service they depend on closes in January.

Newton House is the only place in B&NES where people with severe care needs who live with their families can access respite care, a short stay away from home so their full-time carers can have a short break. This can be the only time their parents can get a full night’s sleep or get chores done.

But Newton House is set to close in January 2025 — and parents have warned the council that they will not be able to cope without it. Now council care chiefs have given assurances that people who need respite care will not lose out it.

B&NES Council is reassessing the needs of the 17 families who use Newton House, in Bath. It will then carry out a review into the best way of providing respite care in the future to those who still need it.

But families have urged the council to act fast.

Wendy Lucas, whose daughter Rhiannon is 28 and has attended Newton House a couple of nights a week for ten years, addressed the council’s scrutiny panel on children, adults, health and wellbeing on Monday, April 14.

She said: “Most of us want to continue to look after our loved ones for as long as possible. They are our children and for their entire lives we have provided their continuity of care. However we cannot do this without statutory support we are entitled to.

“I therefore urge this panel to pick up the pace and ensure that robust plans are in place to replace Newton House by January 1.

Wendy Lucas addressed Bath and North East Somerset Council's children, adults, health, and wellbeing scrutiny panel on March 10 (Image: John Wimperis)
Wendy Lucas addressed Bath and North East Somerset Council's children, adults, health, and wellbeing scrutiny panel on March 10 ((Image: John Wimperis))

“These young adults are some of the most complex young people who require support from this council.”

Newton House is run by registered housing association Dimensions, which said the short breaks service had become unaffordable. Bath and North East Somerset Council is the sole customer of the service. The council is under a statutory duty to assess and provide for people’s care needs, including providing respite care where required. Despite the closure date in January, council care chiefs said this was not a hard deadline and they expected to have more time if required.

Wendy Lucas' daughter Rhiannon, who uses the respite care service at Newton House (Image: Wendy Lucas)
Wendy Lucas' daughter Rhiannon, who uses the respite care service at Newton House ((Image: Wendy Lucas))

Council cabinet member for adult services Alison Born told the panel: “We have given assurances that we will continue to commission respite services from Newton House and it will remain open until we have completed the needs assessments and commissioning review.”

A council report will come before the panel in June setting out three options for how the council can provide respite care services, which are expected to be: continuing to commission respite care through Dimensions, the council directly providing its own respite care service in house, or putting a tender for respite care services out to market.