By JULIA RAVENSCROFT

TWENTY people with severe learning disabilities have been left without access to respite care but a specialised new centre could lead to all-round improvements in the service.

In a report to the borough council's social services and health committee on Monday night, councillors heard that Fourways on Twiss Green Lane is unable to continue with respite care.

The report said: "There is increasing pressure from service users and carers to produce a response to their stated wishes.

"The situation has been exacerbated by Fourways' provision via Warrington Community Health Care Trust returning to its former use of rehabilitation and assessment and therefore being unable to offer respite care.

"This leaves 20 people with no access to their current respite care provision."

But a spokesman for Warrington Health Care Trust said that the 20 people, who are from Warrington and Halton, were still receiving help.

He said: "For those who live in Warrington we will be adding to the bed-based provision through outreach services, home-based assessments and other appropriate supervised activities that will provide an alternative form of intervention for the individual and subsequent respite for their carers."

Now social services and health bosses plan to create the first centre dedicated to respite care in James Phoenix House on Hilden Road, Padgate.

They have decided that the needs of patients would be best served if all respite care was provided in the same building with a partnership between social services and health bosses.

James Phoenix House currently has a majority of residential patients but also offers three respite care beds serving 14 people with an extra 33 people using four beds in Sycamore Lane.

The report also states that the respite care would be coupled with outreach services offering leisure, sport, sitting services, family placement and volunteer support.

Residential patients at James Phoenix House will be moved to bungalows and will still receive the same level of support.

Welcoming the move, David Whitehead, director of social services, said: "It's not suitable to have long-stay and short-stay people in the same building because it can cause disruption."

The plans could be put into action next year.