Swindon Carers Centre to close at the end of the year

The charity works with nearly 5,700 carers of all ages who support relatives and friends with poor physical or mental health, disabilities, or addictions.

The organisation has been operating since 1997 and saw a 12 per cent increase in the number of carers registering during the 2023-24 financial year.

But it says difficulties renewing a contract which provides essential funding means that the centre’s 27th year will be its last.

Following the closure announcement, CEO Susanna Jones will stay on past her planned departure date at the end of August to manage the complex process of shutting down the charity’s operations.

She said: “This is heartbreaking for Swindon Carers Centre, its staff, volunteers and trustee board.

“We are exceptionally proud of the high-quality service we have delivered for more than a quarter of a century and have been incredibly connected with the carer community in Swindon as a trusted provider throughout that time."

SCC says it formally withdrew from the live procurement process being run by Swindon Borough Council for the carer services contract for Swindon on August 5 because commissioning decisions by the local authority rendered the tender unviable.

The charity’s board of trustees and senior leadership team consulted external auditors and unanimously agreed that the risks to staff, governance, and the unpaid carers themselves were too significant to continue with the bidding process.

It says the local authority then abandoned the contract procurement process three days before the bid submission deadline.

As this contract is the centre’s main source of income, it says it will not be able to continue after its current contract ends on December 31, 2024.

Ms Jones added: “Clearly there are questions to answer around the commissioning decisions which have led to this entirely avoidable situation.

“Our priority now is to continue to provide quality support for the many thousands of carers in Swindon until the end of December and focus all efforts on ensuring there is a clear plan for statutory carer support from January 2025.

“It is vital the amazing carers in Swindon continue to be recognised, valued and championed for everything they do. We will miss working with them very much.”

The council is said to have asked SCC to continue with an interim provision of services for a further 12 months to enable commissioners to produce an updated tender for procurement.

But the charity’s trustee board felt there were still significant risks to quality provision, governance and carer focus which made the later offer - that was also below the minimum financial requirement the centre needed - unacceptable. 

The centre says it has worked hard to find other sources of income – in the last two years, its grants team secured £373,985 with 18 trusts and foundations through 21 grants.

SCC has successfully delivered an annual Local Authority/Bath & North East Somerset Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board contract - which includes SBC’s statutory obligation under the Care Act and Children and Families Act to provide carer assessments and carer breaks - since 1997.

It described doing this as "the greatest privilege" but is also one of several charities that have raised multiple concerns with SBC and the BSW ICB over commissioning provisions at the local authority during the past 18 months.

Bronte Hague will taken on the role of deputy CEO and help ensure the closure follows Charity Commission and Companies House best practice.

Chair of trustees Hannah Crawley said: “Providing high-quality, carer driven services across Swindon has been the priority for everyone who has worked at Swindon Carers Centre over the last 27 years.

“We are hugely proud of the dedication, commitment and expertise our team has shown in the services we have delivered so successfully.

“We have serious concerns about the lack of clarity now over how carers will be supported from January 2025.”

Swindon Carers Centre is one of more than 130 carer-support organisations involved in the national Carers Trust network.

Carers Trust chief executive Kirsty McHugh said: "SCC is a great example of a high-quality local carers centre that has delivered value to the people of Swindon for over 27 years.

“The loss of such deep local experience and knowledge is tragic.

“Sadly, the situation in Swindon is symptomatic of a wider issue across the UK where both unpaid carers, and the organisations supporting them, are under-valued and under-funded.

“Unpaid carers are propping up our creaking health and social care systems and it’s organisations like Swindon Carers Centre that ensure carers are supported. It’s shortsighted to lose that vital local support.” 

The centre thanked its carers, staff, volunteers, trustees, funders and supporters for their efforts, and reassure them that its commitment to ensuring the needs of carers in Swindon are met will continue in the coming months.

A statement issued by Swindon Borough Council and the Bath & North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board read: “It’s standard practice to run a competitive procurement process to commission services and we started this for our carer services contract earlier this year. We terminated that process on August 6 following a review and notified Swindon Carers Centre and other providers that we wanted to work with them to strengthen and reissue the tender in response to provider feedback.

“In the interim, we offered a short-term contract to the Carers Centre with the same annual value as their existing one, with reduced responsibilities. We were disappointed to be notified that the Carers Centre has decided not to accept this offer and didn’t enter into a conversation to propose an alternative.

“Our priority is ensuring continuity of support for carers across Swindon who play such a vital and valued role. We will work closely with the Carers Centre until December to ensure this.”