A health group that halted its decision to shut down a centre for disabled children may be in breach of the law yet again with another decision they have taken.

The Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group announced to parents in a meeting on Thursday that all children who attend Nascot Lawn Respite Centre would see a reduction in the care that they receive due to a lack of funds.

A judicial review was due to take place this week with solicitors Irwin Mitchell representing the parents at the High Court, arguing that the closure contravened the children’s human rights.

The Group announced their decision to withdraw their decision based on the legal advice that they were given.

In the court order it states that the CCG should continue to carry out public engagement including engagement with affected families and other affected public bodies as well as to continue to fund Nascot Lawn at the level of contribution paid.

But the parents were advised today that they would all see a drop in night visits of carers from the Hertfordshire Community Trust, which is not keeping the obliged service in-tact.

Angelina Murphy, mother of Liam said: “They are still receiving legal advice from the same people, and they will not accept how we have been treated.

“If they take away resources from my son they are taking away his life, and they made it clear that health services across the board would be facing cuts.

“The staff are having to leave to find job security and the service is deteriorating and will collapse while the CCG seems to play a waiting game.

“This makes me scared for the people in this area that need health care services as if these services can go, then what is next?”

She said: “Everyone has been in complete turmoil, and many of the long-term staff will have left by the end of October.

Satnam Kaur mother of Gurpreet said: “On Wednesday we were jubilant but after meeting between us we are deflated as it sank in.

“The CCG have waited until the last minute to announce this decision, it would have saved us so much agony.

“All of this could have been avoided but it is the families and the parents that are paying the price.

“If the centre does close, the other respite centres in the county are not equipped to cater for children with high medical need, and they are already booked up three-months in advance.

“All of this undermines the credibility of the CCG and at the moment we are not confident.”

Hertfordshire County Council Cllr Mark Watkin who was also at the meeting said: “Parents still expect funding to be withdrawn.

“Families are in despair about the lack of respite care on offer and not knowing how long the centre will stay open for.”

Richard Harrington MP said: “Nascot Lawn is a vital local service and I feel passionately about this campaign to save it. As the elected Member of Parliament, I have been in constant contact with the right people to ensure this doesn’t happen and will continue to do so until families have the clarity they deserve.”

A spokesperson from Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group said: “The CCG acknowledges that when it took the decision to cease funding respite services at Nascot Lawn in January 2017 that decision was informed by legal advice that indicated it had no power to fund these services.

“This legal advice was unfortunately inaccurate, and the CCG has been clear throughout its recent discussions with the Nascot Lawn families and carers as well as Hertfordshire County Council that it does have a discretionary power, but not a legal duty, to fund respite services, but that the CCG has a statutory responsibility to work within its allocated budget and thus needs to prioritise spending on health services that it is under a duty to commission.

“In recognition of the inaccurate legal advice in the original decision-making process, the CCG has decided to set aside its decision from January 2017 and will make a new decision regarding the funding of respite services at Nascot Lawn.”