A BETTER deal for Ryedale's elderly residents is on the cards as a result of a new scheme being introduced by North Yorkshire County Council's (NYCC) social services department.

The county authority's Ryedale area committee was told at its meeting at Helmsley that it is setting up a new policy on care in its homes.

Under it, the home at 5 Whitby Road, Pickering, will become a resource centre to underpin services available in the area.

"The most pressing need in Ryedale is for services both residential and day care for old people who are mentally infirm," said Sheona Patterson, the social services manager for Ryedale.

In addition, 19 of the county council's existing elderly people's homes will be replaced with new 'Extra Care' schemes, including Ashfield at Malton and The Hawthorns, Norton.

They will be replaced in the next few years, either on their current site or on another site.

"In both cases, conversion of the existing buildings to Extra Care is not possible," said Ms Patterson.

She told the Gazette & Herald later that the 'Extra Care' scheme would see health and social service are professionals working with old people who would become tenants of specially designed flats.

"Our aim is to keep people living in their own homes for as long as possible and to give them independence with back-up support."

She said the county's existing elderly people's homes would be replaced with 'Extra Care' schemes provided by NYCC in partnership with housing associations and district councils over a number of years.

The home at 5 Whitby Road, Pickering, would specialise in the care of elderly mentally ill people.

Care of the elderly would be enhanced, she added, to enable them to have the independence of their own accommodation with professional back-up help.

Extra Care was now recognised by the Government as a real alternative to residential care, she said.

"It is also popular with older people because it combines the care and support provided by a residential home with independence and choice usually associated with living in the community."

Ms Patterson added: "It is a concept rather than a housing type, and can be owned, rented, part-owned and part-rented, and leasehold."

Most Extra Care schemes are developed with public subsidy by housing associations.

She said older people want to remain independent and in their own homes for as long as possible.

"County council care is moving away from providing traditional residential care," she said.

Coun Murray Naylor, deputy leader of the county council, said he was concerned that more time appeared to be spent on inspections and not "getting on with the job". Moving care out of the NYCC into an arm's-length stand-alone organisation would enable it to attract funding which was not available to the local authority, he said.

Coun Geoff Rennie said Ryedale's population, like that in many other parts of the country, was getting older. The problem was aggravated, he said, because younger people were moving away from the area and there was no longer the level of family caring as in the past.

Coun Mike Knaggs said that any sites for new accommodation for the elderly should be within the towns of Malton and Norton.

Ms Patterson said NYCC was currently providing accommodation for 65 people at Ashfield and The Hawthorns. She hoped it would be possible to also provide accommodation for the elderly in the northern Ryedale area.

Updated: 11:43 Wednesday, December 17, 2003