SOME of Barnsley’s most vulnerable adults are facing an uncertain future after it was revealed a specialist unit for people with severe disabilities will close in June.

Parents of those who attend the Keresforth Specialist Resource Unit have received letters about the closure, despite being told 12 months ago the service was safe.

The unit, on Keresforth Close, Barnsley, offers day services, psychology, intensive support and therapies such as occupational therapy, speech and language, and physiotherapy.

It is run by Barnsley Council and supports people who cannot get the specialist support they need from other day centres.

The building is owned by South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust - the same trust responsible for the closure of Mount Vernon Hospital.

Brian and Patricia Sutcliffe’s daughter Amy is 38 and has attended the centre for nearly 20 years.

She suffers from Rett Syndrome, which affects development of the brain, severe epilepsy and scoliosis. She cannot speak, is in a wheelchair and has to be fed and washed.

Brian, 67, of Albany Close, Wombwell, said the closure had come like a bolt out of the blue.

He said: “Amy goes to the centre Monday to Friday, and they do all sorts of things with her. She has lots of medical needs, and everyone has their own individual programme.

“She enjoys going to the centre, you can tell by her demeanour. She doesn’t comprehend, she hasn’t got the mental capacity. But she would know if she suddenly stopped going there.

“She doesn’t like too much change, and I think she would decline if she stopped going.

“What’s really upsetting is that we have not been involved in any of this. It’s like because the vulnerable adults can’t speak for themselves, they think it doesn’t matter.

“I’ve tried to find out where all this is coming from. Other than a meeting 12 months ago when we were told we would be safe in that building for five years, we have had no communication whatsoever.”

Brian said about 25 adults attend the unit at Keresforth, and alternative day centres which had been offered were not suitable. He said many of the adults had been to such centres previously but were transferred to Keresforth because of their complex needs.

Rita Palmer’s daughter Dale, 47, also attends the centre Monday to Friday. Dale has cerebral palsy and other complex medical problems.

Rita, 70, of Ward Green, said: “I think this is disgusting, they haven’t told us anything. There hasn’t even been a meeting with parents.

“Dale is profoundly disabled, she is like a six-month old in another body.

“I’m 70, and I’m on my own. Whenever I’ve had a problem I’ve sorted it out for myself, but this is too big for me.

“Since I’ve found out about the closure, I’ve been to a centre at New Lodge and another at Gilroyd but there are 20 people who go there, and 30 who go to New Lodge so they’re not going to get many more people in there.”

Coun Jenny Platts, cabinet spokesman, said: “South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust has taken the decision to close the site. The council’s priority is to work closely with families to develop individual plans for the future.”

A spokesman for SWYFT said: “Keresforth has been largely empty over recent years, following significant investment in other healthcare premises in Barnsley. It has been declared ‘surplus to requirement’ and partners continue to work together to look at future options for the site.”

The site has been allocated as a mixed use site in the council’s local plan, which is the council’s development plan for housing and employment sites up to 2033.

To sign a petition against the closure, click here.