HC-ONE TO SELL OFF 10 CARE HOMES Joy for care home patients at last
HC-ONE is set to flog 10 of its care homes in Scotland.
The healthcare management firm yesterday revealed plans “to better meet current and future care needs”.
The company will sell a total of 52 of its 328 homes in the UK and close four.
An HC-One spokesman said: “We are investing in refurbishing more than 200 of our care homes, alongside our ongoing new-build programme, as we modernise our portfolio.
“We are putting 52 of our care homes up for sale where we feel they would be better served by a local operator in conjunction with other local services and we are proposing to close a further four homes.
“These sales and closures will only happen when we are convinced we have found the right alternative operator and when residents are able to safely move to their new care placement.”
The spokesman added a company review of its homes was under way last year before the pandemic struck.
The move was slammed last night by a leading union official.
Gary Smith, Scottish secretary of the GMB, said: “At the very moment when we need some sort of stability, HC-One is demonstrating everything that is wrong with our broken model of care and the private provision of residential care.
“The directors and spaghetti bowl of interest groups behind HC-One will not suffer from these sales.
“The uncertainty will only affect exhausted key workers, vulnerable services users and worried families, and the public purse. Workers and service users in HC-One are now waiting anxiously to see what their futures hold. It has added emotional punishment after a horrific year where we are still very much in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
A DAUGHTER hugged her 90-year-old mum yesterday for the first time in months as coronavirus restrictions were finally relaxed in care homes. And as Fiona Scott met her mum, Mary Cook, again, she said she hoped it was “the start of more hugs for many, many people”. It was the first time in three months, Fiona was able to see grandmother-of-four Mary indoors at Queen’s House in Kelso, in the Borders. Fiona said: “It’s hard to put into words – you don’t feel as separate. It’s just normal, isn’t it? “I just feel very sorry for all the folk that cannot get together like this. “The touch and feel, it can speak a volume of words. A hug’s a gesture that you can’t put into words but it conveys so much to the person.” Steven Bailey, concierge at the care home, said: “The difference is amazing – to see Mary and Fiona today, it’s just the best feeling in the world. “It reminds me of all the reasons why I do this job. “I think it will be very overwhelming for everybody – including the staff.” Data released last week showed that care home coronavirus deaths had fallen by 62 per cent in the last three weeks, showing the vaccination programme was beginning to take effect. Almost all residents have now received at least one dose of the jab and 92 per cent of care home staff have also had it. With the testing policy prior to hospital discharge now firmly established, along with routine testing of staff and several other mitigations in place, the Government believes it is safe to allow visitors to return.
In addition to family visits, care homes may allow visits by volunteers, spiritual/faith representatives and professionals for wellbeing activities.
However, some care homes have not yet embraced the Government’s decision to allow visitors back inside.
Coronavirus had ripped through Scotland’s care homes. There was a lack of PPE and hospital patients were being transferred to care homes both without being tested and, in many cases, even after testing positive.
Thousands of care home patients have died of the virus.
Yesterday, at the Government’s daily coronavirus briefing, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “It is an important start to the situation in care homes that from this week I expect to see all care home providers applying the guidance we have published.”
She said the guidance was drawn up in consultation with care home providers, Scottish Care, residents and their families and clinical experts.
And she stated: “We are collectively confident that this is the right time to address the other risk to residents and families in care homes and that is the risk of isolation and loneliness caused by the necessary restrictions that were put in place.”
The Government said that with the extra protection in place, the greater risk to residents’ wellbeing is from a lack of family contact.
Cathie Russell, who has been campaigning with the Care Home Relatives Scotland group, said: “We look forward to working with care home providers, public health and oversight teams to ensure the new guidance allows residents to enjoy meaningful contact with their closest relatives and friends.”