• I AM writing to clarify the proposed changes to services at Henderson Court Resource Centre.

We are changing the service model to make it closer to that of the award-winning sister resource centre at Great Croft in King’s Cross.

The article (Charges are a betrayal, warns day centre boss, August 3) and the associated Comment piece (The high cost of retreat as elderly are hit in pockets) do contain some inaccuracies.

Our aim is not to exclude people from the service; it is to ensure that we are not constrained by the current financial situation to close the centre. There will be an increased emphasis on supporting people with complex care needs and dementia. We have liaised closely with adult social care to make sure our model fits well with the council’s own plans.

Older people can have an assessment with adult social care and, if eligible, Camden will pay their fees; alternatively there can be “self-funders”. The day rates paid by adult social care range from £25 to £65 depending on the level of need. Many current service users are eligible for funding but they do need to be assessed.

An Age UK advice worker will be available to support users through the assessment process and will conduct a benefits check. There will be an emphasis on care but the model will not be totally “closed”.

In the short term we are aiming to sustain other activities out of core day care hours. We also have an exciting new partnership with Hampstead Community Centre and are about to recruit a community worker to work in the local area.

There will be further opportunities to further expand our offer when the council builds the planned activity pavilion on to the centre which will be shared with the adjacent sheltered housing.

Age UK Camden supports 9,000 older people each year. Our services include advice, drop-in coffee mornings, dementia wellbeing, befriending, computer training, care navigation and counselling.

Laurie White, who spoke to the New Journal, was the Henderson manager who left last week after eight years’ service. Mr White decided he did not wish to lead the new phase of work and chose to accept redundancy as part of the wider cost-cutting restructuring. We are sad that he chose to leave but want to thank him again for his contribution to the resource centre with a particular thanks for his work in delivering creative activities.

We have underwritten a significant deficit at Henderson for nearly two years. Last year this was around £60,000 and increasing. We are determined to carry on our work at Henderson Court and will continue to support the deficit, which will reduce through the changes.

We hope that the changes – including the building of the pavilion and the appointment of the community worker – will result in a positive way forward.

JANET GUTHRIE
Chair of Age UK Camden