DAY centres across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole could close in plans unveiled by the council.

These buildings provide ‘day opportunities’ – activities including learning new skills, hobbies and interests for adults with care needs, supporting them with ‘independence, socialisation, health, nutrition, employment, volunteering and daily living’.

Tricuro, a trading company owned by BCP Council, could close five of these eight buildings as the local authority looks to move to more community-based services.

During the pandemic, three of the buildings, known as plus services, in Westbourne, Wallisdown and Highcliffe, were taken out of service and have not reopened since.

Those who used these services were moved to nearby ‘connect centres’ in Boscombe, Christchurch and Parkstone.

However, the council could close all the remaining buildings, with a public consultation launched on the plans, featuring two proposals.

The first would see the two remaining plus services, in Moordown and Poole, closed, with the three connect centres retained, increasing the community-based services.

The council said this proposal would ‘provide clients a blended approach to the council’s day opportunities on offer’.

The second proposal is to close all eight of the building-based services, to move to a full community-based offer.

People who are assessed to need a building-based service, this would be commissioned from the ‘wider day opportunities sector’.

If either proposal is taken forward, changes are likely to be introduced over a two-year period from April 2024.

The council said a move away from building-based services, historically known as day centres, to a community-based offering would provide ‘a wider range of services and give people more choice and control’.

It added that is currently spends 93 per cent of the budget for day opportunities on building-based services, with the community-based options ‘more cost effective’ and able to be tailored to individual needs.

Cllr David Brown, portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said: “We are currently consulting on our Day Opportunities Strategy and are actively encouraging all our service users, their carers and families to have their say on the services BCP Council provide.

“Over the past year or so we have spoken to many service providers and people who use services to influence the way services are designed, commissioned and delivered. This has helped us draft this strategy to meet their needs."

The consultation can be accessed through the BCP Council have your say website. It closes on January 15.