A CASH crisis has forced Wiltshire County Council to withdraw services for disabled people in the county.
Residents in care homes were told on Friday they would no longer be able to attend day care centres, because a budget shortfall of £450,000 has led the council to axe agency workers in a bid to save money.
Christine Parkinson, 57, whose two daughters are residents at Rutland House in Trowbridge, said they were told they could not attend day care at the Ashton Street centre in Trowbridge until the next financial year.
She is furious the council's adult and community services department withdrew the care without any consultation with staff or the families involved.
She said: "It is just so insulting. It was so sneaky. If it had been done openly and they had said 'we are in real trouble, we haven't got the money' we could have taken a breath and worked it out somehow. They don't have the courtesy to tell us we are just the parents."
Mrs Parkinson was unaware her daughters, who both suffer from cerebral palsy, would no longer be able to attend the centre until she was informed by staff at Rutland House.
Laura, 25, is blind and quadriplegic and Leanne, 23, suffers from autism and has severe learning difficulties.
The day care they receive at Ashton Street means they get to spend time away from home and benefit from social interaction as well as different types of therapy.
Red-faced health care bosses have admitted they did not carry out adequate consultation with staff and carers and are now planning to discuss the situation and make further changes if necessary.
Ray Jones, director of adult and community services, said: "We may have moved forward too quickly and without enough discussion."
Talks will be held to discuss how some of the activities available through day care might be provided in the residential homes. Mr Jones said the department had decided to try and avoid an even larger overspend by no longer employing agency workers and looking at how permanent staff are being used.
Workers may now find themselves shifted around and are angry that no warning was given of the change.
One employee, who asked not to be named, said: "They should give advance warning when they do this. This is going to affect hundreds of people with learning disabilities that receive this service and are now being told they have to stay at home.
"They are refusing to use agency staff and told us we will be asked to work in other places even if we don't want to."
The changes do not affect those who are cared for at home by their families, who will still be able to use day care services.
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