A 102-year-old war veteran risks losing her home as council and health bosses are struggling to balance the books.
Great-grandmother-of-eight Barbara Reid is one of hundreds of care home residents and staff who could end up having to move if officials agree to sell or close homes to save money. The centenarian enlisted in the military after leaving school and worked in Falkirk making bombs during WWII before becoming a stay-at-home mum to her three children.
Now, at the end of her life, Barbara risks being confined to hospital after West Lothian’s council and health bosses announced they were reviewing the future of six council-run care homes as well as their social care teams and care-at-home services. Almost £1million a year is spent on the services, with the authorities saying they are facing a £17million budget black hole and have to make savings.
In total, 168 staff, 141 older people and 16 young adults living and working in the homes could have to relocate if the plans by the authority’s Integrated Joint Board (IJB) go ahead. Barbara’s daughter Marion McKnight, 74, said the plans had to be scrapped or they would cause mayhem. She said: “It’s inhumane to actually consider this. If they take the homes away, it will be chaos.
“What they are suggesting is either to put people in hospital or provide them care at home. For most people like my mother, it would have to be hospital as they have full-blown Alzheimer’s and many don’t have homes left to go to.
“We’ve all been through hell with the pandemic and we fought to get access to the homes. To come through that and now they’re planning to shut the homes anyway is completely unbelievable. It’s no way to treat the elderly.”
Marion, a retired administrator from West Calder, said her mum has been living in Limecroft, one of the threatened homes,
for 12 years and is now “institutionalised”. The other homes for the elderly under review are Craigmar, Whitdale and Burngrange, while Burnside and Deans House, which care for young adults with disabilities, are also being looked at.
According to the IJB’s risk assessment documents, young adults in Burnside and Deans House would have to move into another local authority as there is nowhere else for them in West Lothian. The documents state that unpaid carers would be “placed under additional stress due to being unable to source suitable breaks from caring”.
The review of elderly care homes is classed as a “high risk” plan and states the impact could “increase delays in hospital discharges” and “increase unmet need” in the area. It also questions the ability of any private companies to deliver the level of care the residents need.
Marion said: “My mum has dementia and Alzheimer’s and she’s so fragile. She’ll be 103 in September this year. What’s this going to do? I know she has to die at some time but I don’t want that to be at the hands of somebody turfing her out of her room.
“They’re saying, ‘The budget isn’t stretching so let’s go after the old folk’ – it’s a disgrace. It’s shocking for everybody but we were told eight weeks ago it was a possibility and we’ve not heard anything since.”
Cathie Russell, of campaign group Care Home Relatives Scotland, said the Government should ban councils from getting rid of homes right now. She said: “With all the uncertainty over the National Care Service proposals, I saw this coming.
"There should be a moratorium on councils divesting themselves of social care assets until the National Care Service discussions are concluded. Councils think they can buy places in private care homes cheaper than they can run their own using the National Care Contract rate but the private homes are not interested in taking people for that.
“I’m sure the authorities will make sure people in homes in West Lothian are catered for but there will be no places in future for people who can’t afford £6000 a month from their own assets.”
Trade unions Unison, GMB and Unite have joined forces to protest against West Lothian’s plans. Spokeswoman Jane Ridgway said: “These proposals to close or sell off care homes, cut services and privatise jobs are an appalling indictment of the social care crisis the country faces.
“The private sector cannot recruit staff or fulfil their current contracts, yet the IJB wants to pass more work on to private companies who are motivated by profit.
“This is people’s homes we are talking about, not commodities to be flogged off by accountants. Have they no shame?”
A West Lothian IJB spokesman said: “The IJB is facing a significant budget gap (£17.3million over the next three years)
as the increase in funding available is not enough to cover rising demand for services from a growing older population, as well as increasing costs of delivering those services.”
He said there was a review of council services but the IJB would “maintain levels of care home service for older people” and wanted to ensure “continuity and a smooth transition in terms of altering the way in which services may be provided.”
He said it was costing more to run care homes than to buy places in private facilities and added: “It’s important not to focus only on physical buildings or who is providing services but on maintaining levels of service and look at alternative ways to deliver services that can improve standards for those individuals in our care.”
He confirmed that adults with learning disabilities were being moved to a “supported living model… in line with the Scottish Government’s best practice” and this would “meet the needs of adults and maximise independence”.
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