'Clearly there are questions to answer': Swindon Carers Centre to close after 27 years
They say the decision's come after they withdrew from the next round of contract negotiations - with just three days until the deadline
Last updated 13th Aug 2024
After nearly three decades supporting thousands of unpaid carers in the Borough, it's been confirmed the Swindon Carers Centre is to close at the end of the year.
Bosses at the Charity unanimously agreed the risks going forward with the next round of contract negotiations would be too much of a risk.
CEO Suzanna Jones says 'clearly there are questions to answer around commissioning decisions which were entirely 'avoidable'.
Both of Swindon's Labour MPs have also commented, with both Heidi Alexander (Swindon South) and Will Stone (Swindon North) saying they are 'saddened', adding they are doing what they can to ensure a continuity of care for residents of the Borough.
Yesterday, it was confirmed that the SCC formally withdrew from the live procurement process being run by Swindon Borough Council for the Carer Services Contract for Swindon back on the 5th of August.
It comes as they claim the commissioning decisions by the local authority were 'unviable'.
What preceded this decision was a consultation by the charity's Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team alongside external auditors.
Amongst the 'risks' cited, they said issues were found in how the new contract would have impacted staff, governance and the unpaid carers themselves.
The contract has been delivered by the SCC, alongside the Local Authority/Bath and North East Somerset Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, since 1997.
Currently, they work with nearly 5,700 carers in the region.
These carers support family members and friends with poor physical or mental health, disabilities or addictions - with the site actually seeing a 12% increase in the number of carers registering with the organisation, showcasing the growing demand for support.
Despite the contract being their main source of income, bosses say they have worked 'exceptionally hard' to diversify this - securing more than £370,000 worth of Grants with 18 Trusts and Foundations, managing in total 21 of them.
Despite Swindon Borough Council asking the Centre to continue providing service for an extra year, bosses still felt the 'risks were far too great' to do so.
In a statement, bosses at the SCC go on to say: "Swindon Carers Centre is one of several charities who have raised multiple concerns with SBC and BSW ICB over commissioning provision at SBC during the past 18 months, along with the continued financial risks to charities of underfunding and delayed procurement.
"To ensure stability and consistency as SCC navigates these difficult times, CEO Susanna Jones, who had been due to leave at the end of August, will continue in her role until the end of December 2024.
"This decision will allow the organisation to maintain the experienced leadership necessary to manage the complex process of shutting down its operations.
"In support of this transition, Bronte Hague will take on the role of Deputy CEO and will work closely with Susanna and the entire team to close Swindon Carers Centre in line with Charity Commission and Companies House best practice."
'Clearly there are questions to answer'
Hannah Crawley, SCC Chair of Trustees, said: “Providing high-quality, carer driven services across Swindon has been the priority for everyone who has worked at Swindon Carers Centre over the last 27 years.
"We are hugely proud of the dedication, commitment and expertise our team has shown in the services we have delivered so successfully. We have serious concerns about the lack of clarity now over how carers will be supported from January 2025.”
Susanna Jones, SCC CEO, said: “This is heartbreaking for Swindon Carers Centre, its staff, volunteers and Trustee Board. We are exceptionally proud of the high-quality service we have delivered for more than a quarter of a century and have been incredibly connected with the carer community in Swindon as a trusted provider throughout that time.
"Clearly there are questions to answer around the commissioning decisions which have led to this entirely avoidable situation.
"Our priority now is to continue to provide quality support for the many thousands of carers in Swindon until the end of December and focus all efforts on ensuring there is a clear plan for statutory carer support from January 2025.
"It is vital the amazing carers in Swindon continue to be recognised, valued and championed for everything they do. We will miss working with them very much.”
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, the national charity that operates a network of over 130 local carer-support organisations of which Swindon Carers Centre is a member, said: “SCC is a great example of a high-quality local Carers Centre that has delivered value to the people of Swindon for over 27 years.
"The loss of such deep local experience and knowledge is tragic. Sadly, the situation in Swindon is symptomatic of a wider issue across the UK where both unpaid carers, and the organisations supporting them, are under-valued and under-funded.
"Unpaid carers are propping up our creaking health and social care systems and it’s organisations like Swindon Carers Centre that ensure carers are supported. It’s shortsighted to lose that vital local support.”
'Our priority is ensuring continuity of support'
A statement from Swindon Borough Council and the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board said: “It’s standard practice to run a competitive procurement process to commission services and we started this for our carer services contract earlier this year. We terminated that process on 6 August following a review and notified Swindon Carers Centre and other providers that we wanted to work with them to strengthen and reissue the tender in response to provider feedback.
“In the interim, we offered a short-term contract to the Carers Centre with the same annual value as their existing one, with reduced responsibilities. We were disappointed to be notified that the Carers Centre has decided not to accept this offer and didn’t enter into a conversation to propose an alternative.
“Our priority is ensuring continuity of support for carers across Swindon who play such a vital and valued role. We will work closely with the Carers Centre until December to ensure this.”