Councillors urged to keep up care home fight
It’s “not game playing”
The IJB made the call to shut Beechgrove House Care Home in controversial circumstances Campaigners fighting to save Beechgrove House Care Home from closure have called on ward councillors to step up the pressure on NHS Tayside’s IJB members.
The facility was given the green light for closure in controversial circumstances earlier this year, with many accusing the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership Integration Joint Board (IJB) of acting undemocratically.
Whilst the retention of the Perth facility is supported by members of all three PKC political groups, one councillor has alledged that the situation is being used for political “game-playing”.
Perth city centre Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Barrett was reported in other news outlets as saying: “The days of leaving party politics at the door of the IJB seem to be gone.
“When it comes to the future of older people and residential care, residents and families deserve better than political showboating and game playing.”
This response has not gone down well with some campaigners, who feel that the cross party support to save Beechgrove shows it is not a party issue.
Mark Cant, who has fought to keep the care home open since 2017, said: “Whilst we are grateful for Cllr Barrett’s condemnation regarding the decision, we wish other prominent local councillors had been more vocal than just being notably respectful - namely Cllr Audrey Coates and perhaps more surprisingly Cllr Willie Wilson?
“We are disappointed at Cllr Barrett’s implied observations of ‘show boating and game playing’ which has resulted in politics making the headlines rather than addressing the underlying issues and quite blatant undemocratic practices undertaken by the IJB to determine Beechgrove’s future.”
Mr Cant is continuing to fight to keep the Oakbank care home open.
He added: “On behalf of Beechgrove families and carers, we have submitted a letter highlighting our concerns via the IJB complaints procedure.
“We await feedback over the coming days.
“Following on from last week’s council meeting, we also await feedback from the letters being sent by Murray Lyle to the Secretary of State and NHS Tayside Chief Executive.”
We have submitted a letter of concerns