EFFORTS are being made to keep vital services running following the news of Age UK Hereford and Worcestershire’s closure.
Worcestershire County Council announced it is working alongside the charity to ensure support is maintained for council commissioned services.
Age UK Hereford and Worcestershire announced plans to close this month, with 97 members of staff at risk of redundancy, due to “severe financial challenges”.
These challenges, it said, included rising operating costs and diminishing funding opportunities, which had made it “no longer viable for the charity to continue offering services”.
The charity said it was contacting its beneficiaries as well as working with the national Age UK charity, its brand partners and other local organisations to ensure as many people as possible continue to receive the support that they need.
According to accounts filed with the Charity Commission, Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire recorded a deficit of £154,000 in the year to March 2023.
There are still two Age UK independent charities providing support across the whole county – Age UK Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest and Age UK Worcester, Malvern Hills and Hereford Localities, who will also now support Wychavon residents following the closure.
Both charities offer a range of free and paid for services that are very similar or the same as Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire, but demand is currently extremely high, so wait time for support may be increased in the short term.
The council are working with a potential provider to take on the delivery of the Home from Hospital service, until the end of the current contract in March 2025, and this will be confirmed in due course.
The Home from Hospital service provides practical support and companionship for people following a stay in hospital. Offering a hand with shopping, running the vacuum round or simply spending time putting the kettle on and lending a listening ear is vital in a person’s recovery, as it alleviates some of their worry about getting the practical things done.
WCC’s adult social care spokesperson Coun Richard Morris said: ”We are saddened to hear of Age UK’s closure and our officers are working closely with Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire and other partners to maintain this important council commissioned service.
“We are continuing to keep abreast of the future arrangements for wider services that Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire deliver and are hopeful that solutions will be found to continue the range of services.”
In the short term, those residents needing basic support following a stay in hospital should contact NHS responders or the national Age UK.
