Council Approve Plans to Transform Adult Social Care Respite Service

As well as supporting vulnerable residents and carers, the new Amethyst Road Respite Service will also deliver a flexible and person-centred service including supporting young people transitioning to adult services to develop their life skills and promote independence.

The Amethyst Lane site will also feature general needs housing.

More than 3,000 residents 18 years and older have a profound and multiple learning disability in Reading. The new facility will provide short-term respite for up to six people at a time.

John Ennis, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Adult Social Care, said: “The needs of vulnerable residents and their carers will be at the heart of the new facility on Amethyst Lane. It forms part of a significant investment in new adult social care services right across Reading and demonstrates once again the Council’s commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities; helping them to lead as independent lives as possible whilst providing the specialist support they need it.

In this instance it also means providing much needed respite for Reading’s hidden army of carers who do such an incredible job, day in day out.”

 The proposals were approved last week at a meeting of the Council’s Policy Committee on Tuesday 15 March. 

The site allows the respite facility to be designed as a standalone building and will not have multiple uses on one site. Engagement with the Care Quality Commission has already commenced to ensure that the building is designed to meet all the latest necessary guidance.

The area at Amethyst Lane will also allow development of general needs housing with the site being split into two with housing and respite being built on adjacent sites.