By Bill Heaney
Care services in West Dunbartonshire have gone to hell in a handcart, especially since the introduction by the SNP government of Health and Social Care committees to take resp;responsibility for the services they provide.
In Dumbarton itself a mammoth mistake was made when the council closed five community based care homes and replaced them with Crosslet House, which is out in the sticks and almost impossible to reach without a car or a taxi.
The Council are currently in the process of demolishing the Willox Park Care Home in Barloan and eventually replacing the sheltered housing complex there with a small estate of new houses.
The SNP, pushed by West End councillor Ian McLaren, who will not be standing for re-election, have also sold off Langcraigs Home in the Gooseholm, off Townend Road, Dumbarton, for a bargain basement price to a Highland-based company with a dodgy record of providing elderly care.
However, possibly unaware of the situation in Dumbarton and remarkably failing to field even one candidate for the council elections on Thursday, May 5, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton maintains that his party will defend local care services from a takeover by the Scottish Government “which would see local accountability, control and innovation put at risk”.
Instead of allowing ministers in St Andrews House in Edinburgh to dictate social care policy for the entire country, Scottish Liberal Democrats are proposing a model based which they maintain will deliver high quality, flexible and locally-run care services and community care built around individual needs and choices.
The party is proposing to:
- Prioritise the establishment of powerful national bargaining with the Scottish Government funding required to deliver on fair work standards for staff.
- Respect the social care workforce for the work they do and require care service providers to comply with fair work standards.
- Recognise the right of every person to personalised care.
- Involve disabled people and other care users in local commissioning so it is informed by local experience of unmet need.
- Review the mix of provision available to people requiring care and support including modern sheltered housing, community care hubs, meal provision, community links and models of independent living for younger adults.
- Ensure that the relatives of care home residents are able to have full and meaningful contact with their loved ones.
Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The virus has shown how much we need and value health and care services and the people who work in them. However, they are under pressure like never before. Staff are exhausted. Two years of the virus and 15 years of SNP mismanagement are each taking their toll.
“It would terrible for care services if authority was to be taken away from local councils and permanently handed to the same Scottish Government ministers who were responsible for sending untested and Covid-positive patients into care homes at the start of the pandemic.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have a rich history of investing in Scotland’s health, introducing free dental and eye checks, free personal care and recently winning £120 million more for mental health. Now we want to drive up the quality of care for users and move quickly to reward staff with better pay, conditions and career progression. That’s how to bring change as soon as possible, instead of delaying while new organisations are created by SNP ministers which would siphon resources from the frontline.
“Everyone who believes in local control of local services should vote for Scottish Liberal Democrat councillors on May 5th.”
The LibDems are not standing for election in West Dunbartonshire but will have candidates in parts of the Dumbarton Constituency, which includes Cardross, Helensburgh and Lomond.
Top of page picture: Langcraigs Care Home which was sold off by the SNP for a pittance and is now said to be worth £ millions.
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