PLANS which will likely see the closure of a Kidderminster respite care unit are set to be decided this week.

Ludlow Road, a respite care unit in Kidderminster which offers short overnight breaks for disabled children, was classed as neither “operationally viable or cost-effective” by Worcestershire Health and Care Trust earlier this year.

The future of the care unit has been in the balance for a number of years. A consultation was launched at the start of 2018 into the future of services at Ludlow Road, prompting parents and Wyre Forest Labour to launch a campaign to save the unit, including a petition which attracted 8,225 signatures.

The unit was given a stay of execution in July last year when county cabinet members decided to keep the centre open until the end of the financial year while efforts were made to make the savings required.

But when Ofsted said the facility should be a four-bed self-contained unit, the health trust said it would no longer be value for money.

Worcestershire County Council wants to close the Kidderminster unit to allow for a £1 million refurbishment of a similar unit in Malvern, Osborne Court.

The proposal at the Osborne Court campus is to create four new bedrooms for children and young people as well as the refurbishment of two currently empty buildings that will create a unit for adults with five bedrooms.

The council says the proposals will continue to meet the need for overnight short breaks of families now and in the future.

Councillor Andy Roberts, cabinet member with responsibility for children and families, said: “We appreciate that overnight short breaks are invaluable to families and that this has been an unsettling period for parents.

“This new way of delivering overnight short breaks is sustainable and has the flexibility to meet the needs of families now and in the future.

"The county council and the health and care trust are committed to providing these much needed breaks for families which will continue to be provided to any family who needs it.”

Sue Harris, director of strategy and partnerships at Worcestershire Health and Care and NHS Trust, added: “It is important to reiterate that this proposal would not reduce or take away short breaks services from those currently accessing it.”

But Wyre Forest Labour maintains the other units are not comparable to Ludlow Road.

Spokesman Stephen Brown said: “There is no comparable facility or services and anyone who says there is is a liar.

"It places greater stress on the parents, the families, and the children in need, placing greater strain on other services like the NHS.

"We won’t forgive the council for that, or those individuals in the service driving through this reckless demolition of a much needed and loved local facility for families with kids who have the most challenging needs.”

Cabinet will vote on the plans on Thursday.