The Markhouse Centre is due to shut at the end of June but families say their loved ones have still not been given start dates at alternative sites, reports Marco Marcelline

Families of disabled adults who attend a Walthamstow day centre that is being shut by Waltham Forest Council have called the transition process a “shambles”.

When the council voted to close the centre in March, Louise Mitchell, the cabinet member for adults and health, said the town hall opted for “people-based services” over “building-based services”. 

But amid a “chaotic” transition that has left families in the dark about where their loved ones will go, carers say the council’s approach has been neither “people-based” nor “building-based”.

Families say they have been forced to chase council officers for information on where their loved one would be placed, despite Waltham Forest having promised “individual and personalised transition plans” when it consulted on the closure. 

And as the official closure date of 30th June looms, one carer told the Echo she was asked by a social worker if she could partially self-fund the costs of her preferred replacement day centre. 

In March, senior councillors agreed to shut the Walthamstow building, citing its “poor condition” and repair costs totalling close to £1million.

Open since the early 1980s, the day centre is currently attended by 48 borough residents with moderate to severe learning difficulties. 

Catherine Tokens, whose son Paul has attended the centre for 30 years, called the transition process a “total and utter shambles”, saying she felt “outraged” by how it has been handled.

While Paul has been allocated his family’s preferred centre, the council only arranged his first “transition visit” – meant to help service users adjust – just one week before his start date of 23rd June. 

The “minimal” breathing room and support have led Catherine to feel that Paul is being “shunted” from one unit to the next. 

Catherine said she was “forced to fight” for the centre she wanted Paul to be placed in.

Stating that the council had presented her with “no contingency plan” if appropriate accommodation wasn’t found, she added: “We were told that social workers would provide support, yet I had to make three separate phone calls before finally making contact with them.”

Catherine was additionally asked by her dedicated social worker if she could supplement – or “top up” – the costs of her preferred centre, despite it being included in the town hall’s list of alternative day services. 

While she has since received confirmation that she would not have to part-fund Paul’s new placement, the “unacceptable” experience has left her dismayed with the council. 

This feeling was echoed by Nus, who said her severely autistic 23-year-old daughter Zaynah was yet to find out when she will begin her placement at an alternative site.

She told the Echo: “It’s appalling how they are handling this. They said the transition process would be smooth but none of it has gone accordingly. We’ve been constantly chasing the council and it’s been nothing but silence.”

Today (13th June) was Zaynah’s last day at the centre, and with no start date at the new site confirmed, Nus faces having to keep her at home for an extended period – a prospect which she finds “heartbreaking”. 

Another promise Nus says the council has broken is its declaration it would consider service users’ friendships when placing them in a new centre. 

She said: “I was having tea with some other carers when I found out all of Zaynah’s friends at Markhouse bar one were going to a different centre to her.”

In a statement, Cllr Mitchell said: “We are working hard to ensure people who currently use the Markhouse Centre are given alternative placements before the centre closes on Monday 30th June. As of Friday 13th June, there is one resident who is awaiting their move-on date – we are confident this will be finalised soon.

“No formal requests for top-ups have been made for any placements that have been arranged. There have been some discussions about fair and proportionate costs as we strive to arrange secure placements that provide a high-quality of care at a reasonable, affordable cost. As it currently stands, no resident or family is required to pay a top-up.

“We remain fully committed to our responsibilities under the Care Act 2014. All care and support arrangements have been made in full compliance with statutory requirements. We have ensured that families have access to an allocated social worker who can provide the advice and support that they may need in the first instance.”

Meanwhile, campaigner and ex-councillor James O’Rourke, whose brother Tony has attended the Markhouse Centre for close to four decades, slammed Waltham Forest for shutting the centre, which he described as a “lifeline” for many.

He said: “For nearly 40 years, Tony attended Markhouse. Today, after much thought, I supported him to take the microphone and he simply said: ‘Markhouse closed.’ A powerful statement from someone who understands far more than politicians give credit for.

“To those making these heartless decisions: Where is your so-called ‘person-centred’ approach now? This isn’t just a building. This is people’s lives. Their routines. Their community. [It has been] torn away without dignity or respect.”

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