Care plan is right for our residents
This is my first column since summer started to fade into autumn – and what a summer it was!
Your council’s work continued across the holiday period and I want to use this article to discuss one of the most important policies we have been progressing – a huge investment in a new model for our area’s care facilities for the elderly.
We need to get it right, as we owe our older folk the best possible twilight years, with the right support in place for those who need it.
This is a view I would expect everyone to share.
So I am dismayed some Labour councillors are twisting the facts to use this sensitive issue as a political football.
They say our plans are just about shutting care homes or saving money. This is not true. They claim old folk will be kicked out of care homes with nowhere to go. This is a particularly despicable lie, which is distressing current residents and their families.
It’s not in my nature to attack political opponents in this way, but sometimes lies need to be called out. Let me tell you the facts. Your council’s priorities include an £18 million investment in local care facilities. These plans are the result of extensive research and consultation and are backed by colleagues in the NHS and elsewhere.
At the moment, our services include eight residential care homes which accommodate up to 272 people. This is a fraction of the number of people who need long-term residential care – about 2200 more are in private care homes.
Our population is ageing, so these numbers are going to grow. This is great news, of course – people are living longer. But many will need some sort of care and that means the NHS and councils have to make sure they have the right models of care in place.
Research clearly shows most older people want to be at home if they can, living as independently as possible in their own communities.
Our new model of care is designed to ensure we can meet these expectations and also the challenges of our ageing population. This is especially important given that four of our eight residential care homes are themselves ageing and need replaced.
Under the new model, the council will still have long-term beds for those who need them. But in addition, we will have a number of care hubs, where people will live for shorter periods while they are helped back to a level of health where they can return home.
Some of them will be patients who are ready to leave hospital but aren’t quite fit enough to go home.
Others will need temporary care to avoid going into hospital in the first place. Our hubs will provide all the care needed to help these people get well and, if possible, return home.
Phase one has started in Hamilton and Blantyre and planning is underway on phases for Clydesdale, Rutherglen/cambuslang and East Kilbride. The rollout will take about five years so no one needs to worry about any imminent change to their circumstances.
Bespoke solutions will be found for each area’s needs after full consultation, especially with our care home residents and their families.
Projections for Hamilton and Blantyre alone suggest that, while just 72 people a year currently use a council care home bed, the new model will benefit around 260 people a year, the majority of whom will be able to return home.
In short, our new care model will help many, many more people live longer, healthier and happier lives. Who could reasonably oppose that?
It’s not in my nature to attack political opponents in this way, but sometimes lies need to be called out...