Pressing the Health Chief on the £6.4m Shake-Up of Perry Tree Care Centre

What's happened

Birmingham City Council's Cabinet has officially approved a new operating model for its three council-owned care centres, aiming to deliver £6.4 million in savings by 2028. According to the latest Cabinet report, the Kenrick Centre will now be the sole facility providing long-term residential and short-term respite care. Meanwhile, Perry Tree Care Centre—which serves many residents in the Erdington area—and Ann Marie Howes will be converted to deliver integrated intermediate care in partnership with the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

What it means for Erdington and Pype Hayes

For our community, the most immediate impact is that long-term residents currently living at Perry Tree will have to be relocated. They will be supported to move either to the Kenrick Centre or to an alternative care provider of their choice. While the council has promised that residents will be assigned social workers and that there will be no financial impact on families, moving elderly and vulnerable people is always highly disruptive. Furthermore, it was confirmed during the Cabinet meeting that dementia care will not be continuing under these revised proposals, leaving a significant gap in local specialist support.

Where I stand

I understand the immense financial pressure Birmingham City Council is under, and the argument for integrating intermediate care with the NHS to keep people out of hospital is, on paper, a sensible one. We need efficient services that deliver value for the taxpayer. However, as your Reform UK councillor, my priority is the wellbeing of Erdington and Pype Hayes residents. Uprooting elderly residents from Perry Tree is a traumatic process, and the complete removal of dementia care from this model is a glaring oversight. We cannot balance the books by simply shifting the burden onto families who now have to travel further to visit their loved ones or struggle to find alternative dementia support. I will be watching this transition like a hawk to ensure the promised tailored support actually materialises.

What happens next

The council will begin a phased approach through 2026 and 2027 to align the workforce and begin relocating residents. Social workers are being assigned to affected families to create individual care plans for the transition. My office will be monitoring these relocations closely. If you or a family member are affected by the changes at Perry Tree, please get in touch with my team immediately so we can ensure you are receiving the support you have been promised.

Questions we're asking

As the Reform UK opposition, I am putting the following questions directly to Cllr Nosheen Khalid, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, to ensure our vulnerable residents are protected during this transition:

• Given the Cabinet report states dementia care will not continue under the revised proposals, exactly what alternative local provision has been commissioned for Erdington residents, and what is the cost of this alternative care?
• The report projects £4.9m in savings by the end of 2026/27. How much of this saving is dependent on the successful relocation of Perry Tree's long-term residents, and what financial contingencies are in place if these moves are delayed due to a lack of suitable alternative beds?
• With Perry Tree transitioning to integrated intermediate care with the NHS, what legally binding service level agreements have been signed with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to guarantee bed availability for Erdington residents?
• The council has committed to providing tailored support and individual care plans for relocating residents. Can you confirm the exact ratio of social workers to affected residents at Perry Tree, and guarantee that no resident will be moved until their family has formally signed off on the new care location?

Have your say

This decision affects some of the most vulnerable members of our community. I want to know what you think. Please register on the site to leave a comment below, vote in our ward forum poll, or start a petition if you feel strongly about the future of local care provision. Your voice matters, and together we can hold the council to account.

Source: Birmingham City Council