Care sector in Scotland could face chaos

The care of older people in Scotland faces chaos as the owners
of private residential and nursing homes start a campaign of
refusing admissions.

The Grampian branch of Scottish Care, the organisation that
represents 800 of the country’s 1,100 privately run units,
gave formal notice to Aberdeen Council that all new admissions
would cease in 14 days if no resolution could be found to their
deepening cash crisis. Joe Campbell, chair of Scottish Care,
admitted: “This could be the start of an escalating situation
throughout Scotland if no resolution is found. More announcements
will be made within a few days.”

The move follows Scottish Care’s deep disappointment at
the outcome of a meeting with the Scottish executive. Scottish Care
is demanding an extra £55 per resident per week to maintain
current services. The Scottish executive offered a meeting with the
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and reassurances that the
matter was being treated as “urgent”.

The situation in Aberdeen is believed to be critical already
with 122 older people occupying acute hospital beds
inappropriately. Robert Deeming, chairperson of Scottish
Care’s Grampian branch, said: “We are being pushed from
pillar to post by the local council and the Scottish executive and
we simply cannot take any more.”

Linda Dunion, assistant director of Age Concern Scotland, urged
a quick resolution on the matter and said: “The people who will
certainly lose out are the older people who have been identified as
having a need that’s got to be met.”

In a letter to Aberdeen Council’s social work department,
Scottish Care stated that they will not evict any current publicly
funded residents, but will refuse to accept new admissions after 13
June. There are 1,200 privately run residential and nursing home
beds in the north east of Scotland of which 800 are publicly funded
at a cost of some £9 million per year to local
authorities.

A spokesperson for the Scottish executive said: “It is a complex
issue which will require the active involvement of all
parties.”

A spokesperson for Aberdeen Council expressed disappointment
that the issue had been made public while they were still
negotiating with the homeowners.