The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Anger as council reveals care home is to close
BRECHIN HAS been given the bombshell news that its only council-run care home is to close.
St Drostan’s residents were this week told that the Infirmary Street home has been declared past its sell-by date and Angus Council has now begun moves to find alternative accommodation for the 14 residents.
The closure decision has been met locally with anger and dismay and was last night described as a heartbreaking move by the area’s social work convener.
Councillor Glennis Middleton led praise for the level of care and dedication of staff at St Drostan’s but said the unsuitability of the Victorian building in meeting modern day care demands was an inescapable fact.
As recently as July St Drostan’s was the subject of a Care Inspectorate report which rated the home highly in terms of the level of care and offered the conclusion that the Brechin establishment provided a “high quality service”.
But the inspection repeated previous concerns over the lack of en suite facilities for residents and the costs of upgrading the sprawling property have been blamed for the axe falling.
Mrs Middleton said: “It is with much regret that we have taken the decision to begin the process of closing St Drostan’s.
“Although the care received by residents at the home from our excellent staff is second to none, the building itself is no longer fit for purpose and does not meet the standards expected nowadays in care homes for older people.
“It is hugely inappropriate that there are communal toilet facilities and no fire sprinkler system.
“Even if the considerable costs of work were not a factor, the Victorian building does not lend itself to the extensive remodelling which would be required.
“We cannot escape the fact that the building was of its time and that more than one report from the Care Commission, while recognising the first-class levels of care, has said that there are shortcomings in the building.
“We are concentrating our efforts on finding appropriate and suitable alternative accommodation for all the residents in the home in consultation with their families. We will at all times ensure that the needs of the residents are dealt with sympathetically and with every sensitivity.”
Mrs Middleton added: “At the same time, we are talking individually and in detail with our valued members of staff and working with them to find appropriate alternative employment for them within the council.”
She also defended the council’s handling of the announcement, saying it was paramount that staff, residents and their families were first to learn of the decision.
“This is an extremely sensitive issue and they had an absolute right to know before the general public.”
The council declined to comment on the possible timescale for the home’s closure.
Existing supported care provision at St Drostan’s Court is to be retained and until the home closes it will also be continuing with respite care provision which has operated for a number of years.
One local woman said: “My mother was in St Drostan’s for several years and when I learned that it was to be closing I was absolutely gobsmacked.
“I am aware of the Care Commission report and the comments which were made in relation to facilities such as en suite provision but in terms of the care which residents receive there it was nothing other than excellent from my experience.
“This is the only council-run home in Brechin and it is a huge blow to lose it.”