‘Unpalatable’ care cuts warning
PROPOSALS to cut £10 million from Argyll and Bute’s health and social care budget will go public on March 21, but some options are ‘extremely unpalatable’ and potentially could affect a large number of jobs, a councillor has warned, writes Kathie Griffiths.
Details of proposals will go online on the council and Health and Social Care Partnership’s websites on that date.
Members of the Integration Joint Board will then meet on March 28 to decide which proposals will be taken forward to the next year to fill the multimillion pound shortfall.
The warning of hard decisions ahead came from Argyll and Bute councillor Kieron Green at Monday’s Oban Community Council meeting.
Councillor Green, who is also the vice-chairman of the Integration Joint Board, was quizzed for more details but remained tight-lipped, saying he was not in a position to give information away before it was officially in the public domain.
He said: ‘I have seen a fair few proposals, some are extremely unpalatable. We are working out which ones can be brought forward. Some of the proposals concern me deeply,’ he added, telling the community council it was important the situation was handled sensitively because there were ‘potentially a large number of jobs that could be affected’.
He told the community council: ‘We don’t want to concern staff unnecessarily if there are proposals that might not see the light of day.’
There are fears that proposals could include closing Oban’s council-owned Eadar Glinn care home in Drummore Road and could cost hospital beds.
At the last Care Inspectorate visit in November 2017, the home’s care and support was ranked as ‘very good’ and its management and leadership were rated as ‘excellent’. However, Argyll and Bute Council has previously considered closing Eadar Glinn along with some of its other homes on Islay and Tiree.
A member of the public at Monday’s meeting said: ‘I think Eadar Glinn is on the hit list and beds to go at the hospital are on the hit list. We know there are hard decisions to be made but keeping them a secret is not going to help.’
Councillor Green replied: ‘At the next meeting you can ask me for an update on all the proposals in the public domain.’
The next Oban Community Council meeting is on March 26.
There was a mixed reaction to the details of Argyll and Bute Council’s budget being passed last week, which included a three per cent rise in council tax as well as a pledge not to close any public toilets. James Strang: ‘3 percent im happy to pay to keep services as long as they fix the roads in top 3 priority. Plus they can’t close any public toilets in Oban because there is one I believe.’
Stuart Macdonald: ‘Health & social care is top of my list. Happy to take a 3% hike if services are improved.’
Sue Sellar: There aren’t any public toilets in Oban and you can’t use the ones in the station unless a train is standing in the station!’
Jack Low: how about getting rid of councilors who dont work for the good of us joe public and claim expenses for the slightest thing.’
John McGee: ‘Get awe the pothole’s fixed for a start.. You’s never seem to bother maintaining minor roads but the major route’s on a lot of Islands are like driving through sink hole’s. You don’t know it your car will climb out the other side of the many 100’s there are.. I have had many puncture’s as the many. A hope the fat cat’s are taken a pay cut to fund such need’s.’
Kevin Devlin: ‘A council spokesperson said that “to fund the gap, green bin collections would now be made biannually out-with Soroba.”
Stuart Macdonald: ‘Any money for health care? .... I would’ve thought that was a very high priority.’
Ron Morrison: Thought the roads in Glasgow were bad but just back from visiting Gigha and found the A83 virtually impassable! If Argyll wants to attract tourists and employment the Council really needs to get its act together. Potholes and the state of many roads continues to be a hot topic. Hilary Hannah: ‘Having driven to the Vale of Leven on Friday, the roads are a disgrace. It took me over 2 hours to get there. Taynuilt, Lochawe, Inverary road full of potholes. Certainly they are doing work on the Inveraray Road taking away the bad corner, but apart from that...nothing!. If cars get damaged due to this, I hope the roads dept are going to pay out compensation.’
Ali MacLean: The surface between Crianlarich and Tyndrum is an absolute joke.’
Fiona-Ann Vick: ‘This bit just before tyndrum the car in front of us nearly did an emergency stop which was fine but the two cars behind us started blasting their horns and over took us and the car in front of us ! Taynuilt is terrible I ended up with a smashed windscreen because of all the stones in the road.’