Hub project proved to be controversial
South Lanarkshire Council’s plans to develop the £16million Blantyre care hub have proved controversial.
While the new centre – on the site of the former St Joseph’s Primary – will serve the wider Hamilton area, it led to an outcry against planned closures to Blantyre’s Kirkton House and Mcwhirter House in Larkhall.
The council maintained that the older design at these care homes made them ill-suited to modern care and accessibility standards.
They claimed that research showed that most people wish to stay at home – and the new care hub model makes that possible.
Following the announcement of the planned closures of the care homes, South Lanarkshire Council leader Councillor John Ross said:“while our staff deliver the best possible care, we know that four of our homes are nearing the end of their design life.
“This is an opportunity to develop a new model of care designed to improve the lives of older people by supporting them to stay in their own homes.”
But in late 2018 in Larkhall, a public meeting was held to discuss plans to close the only council-run care home in the town. The meeting was organised by Larkhall councillor Andy Carmichael and it heard from the families of residents who were anxious about the closure and the alternatives that were on offer.
Labour slammed the “lack of meaningful consultation”with the workforce, residents and families and called for the closures to be stopped.
The party said that if all phases of the care home modernisation were implemented there was a projected cut of around 100 fixed beds across the local authority area.
The plans for the new care hub in Blantyre were even discussed in debate at the Scottish Parliament.
Monica Lennon, Central Scotland Labour MSP, lodged a motion for debate and called for the local authority’s SNP administration to halt the closure of both Mcwhirter House and Kirkton House.