Montrose House meltdown as respite care is suspended
Carers have reacted with outrage after receiving notification that respite care on Arran has been suspended because Montrose House can’t cope.
Adding to this, carers have also received letters telling them that availability for respite care on the island is nearing capacity and that short-term residents may have to be accommodated on the mainland, which has only increased the ire of those making use of the service.
Service user Mary Young and her husband Jim, from Lamlash, are full-time carers for his mum Margaret. Mary said: ‘Carers who are on duty 24 hours a day – attending to their patients’ and loved ones’ every need – desperately need to make use of respite care. Carers need this for their own sanity, and just knowing that there is an upcoming break can be a great relief but with the receipt of this letter there is no relief in sight for hard working Arran carers.’
Mary, who has contacted her local councillors, MP and MSP after receiving the council notification, said: ‘There have been problems with Montrose House for some time.
‘The phrase in the letter regarding staffing should alert higher management that there is a very large problem in this establishment and action should be instigated immediately.
‘The suggestion in the letter is that a place may possibly be found on the mainland for respite care but I would suggest that the originators of the letter visit my mother-in-law to see that she is an extremely frail 90-year-old lady and a journey like this would be extremely difficult for all concerned. Taken out of familiar surroundings and in an unknown environment, she would not know anyone, nor have any visitors,
even if she could travel off the island.’
Mary went on: ‘The last time she was due to go into respite care we were given less than 24 hours notice that care was suspended. Thanks to the efforts of Elaine Higgins, social work assistant on Arran, a last-minute place was found in the privately owned Cooriedoon Nursing Home where we spent the day undergoing an assessment with the staff to ensure mother’s care.’
The decision to close respite care on Arran, which has a high percentage of elderly and retired residents, is cited by the North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership as being due to staff shortages and the difficulties in staff recruitment at the Brodick care home, which moved into new purpose-built accommodation just two years ago.
A North Ayrshire Council spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that we are not currently taking bookings for respite care at our own care home facility on Arran, Montrose House.
‘In the meantime, we recognise the concerns and anxieties this will have caused some of our local service users and their families and we would like to take this opportunity to apologise for this.
‘The decision to introduce this temporary measure was not an easy one to make, however. Despite our best efforts to recruit to vacant posts, our staffing levels remain low. We have been in regular discussion about this with the Care Inspectorate, which inspects and regulates care services in Scotland. Through these discussions, we have agreed that respite care should be temporarily suspended within Montrose House to ensure our staff can focus on delivering high quality care to our permanent residents.’
The issue of staffing comes exactly a year since Rev Angus Adamson and then local councillor John Bruce raised concerns about the situation at Montrose House after five long-serving staff were suspended. An island-wide petition criticised the manner in which senior management at the council handled the situation and called for an inquiry into the matter.
Another carer, Margaret Kay, who looks after her mum Margaret McKenna, also in Lamlash, said: ‘My mum has used services at Montrose House for almost five years now and these difficulties have only arisen in the past 12 or so months.
‘My respite care, which had been booked and confirmed well in advance, was withdrawn three days before I flew out on holiday. Fortunately, the local social services team were amazing and resolved the matter. But these short-notice cancellations appear to have become a regular feature.
‘Carers rely on this vital support and should not be facing the additional stress of having to worry about whether dates already confirmed by Montrose House will be honoured. It leaves me with absolutely no confidence in the system.
‘It seems as though there is no accountability either at Montrose House or at Cunninghame House for what appears to be bad manage- ment. The inflexibility at Montrose House and the treatment of its staff has led to an exodus which is now resulting in hard-working carers constantly having the rug pulled out from under their feet.’
North Ayrshire Council, which has unsuccessfully advertised locally and online for social care workers, added: ‘We would invite any qualified social care staff who would relish the opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art facility in one of the most scenic locations in Scotland to contact Montrose House’s unit manager Morven RossBain on 01770 302131.
‘In the meantime, we recognise the concerns and anxieties this will have caused some of our local service users and their families and we would like to take this opportunity to apologise for this.’