A mother has backed a campaign to stop the closure of a vital respite care facility which supports her severely disabled daughter.
Herts Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (HVCCG) is withdrawing £600,000 of funding for Nascot Lawn, which provides respite care for children with complex health needs.
Hertfordshire County Council, which helps to run the service, says this will mean the service will close.
The Labour leader on St Albans District Council, Roma Mills, has now submitted a motion to the full council meeting on Wednesday, July 12.
The motion proposes that the council: “Recognise the essential nature of this service and the negative effect that withdrawing it will have on the health and well-being of the families concerned.
“Further, council notes the lack of any consultation with those using the service prior to this decision being made.”
Parents and carers were apparently told of the decision by post.
St Albans mother Claire Bryson - whose daughter Evelyn is in a wheelchair and needs constant support uses the service - said: “I support the appeal to Jeremy Hunt.
“I feel without his involvement the two of sides of government won’t come together to resolve this issue and save this essential service.”
If the motion is passed by councillors, it will mandate the council to ask the secretary of state for health to withdraw the decision.
This, the motion says, will allow HVCCG to “undertake a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the loss of this service”, and allow the NHS and the county council to work out what other funding can be used to continue the service.
Cllr Mills, whose own son suffered with complex health needs, said: “We are asking people to care for children with very complex needs with no support.
“Nascot Lawn is critical for families, as it means they can care for their children and have a break.
“I can understand people are at their wits’ end. We cannot have this Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.”
The Liberal Democrats are submitting their own motion about Nascot Lawn to the county council, calling on it to use some of its £3million underspend to keep Nascot Lawn open.
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