WHO CARES FOR THE CARERS? COUNCIL REFUSES TO STEP FORWARD
heaneymedia
by Bill Heaney
Six uniformed police officers turned up in Church Street yesterday to a rally of community carers who were demonstrating outside West Dunbartonshire Council offices.
This thoughtless show of force by the police and West Dunbartonshire Council – one of the officers had ENFORCEMENT OFFICER emblazoned across the back of his uniform jacket – gathered inside and outside the council offices at the old Burgh Hall.
The carers, mainly middle-aged and elderly women, look after housebound sick and disabled elderly people in their homes helping them to have showers and to wash and make their breakfast and return later in the day to give them “tea and tuck-ins”.
This saves the NHS a fortune on hospital charges, but neither the council not the Scottish government through the heartless SNP-inspired Health and Social Care Partnership will agree to as much as talk with them about the new arrangements they have already started to impose on them.
This is a service which provides relatives of needy people, many of whom work unpaid, with brief breaks from having to supervise for safety purposes their so-called “clients” medication.
Carers worked in the front line during the Covid pandemic and one of them, Catherine Sweeney from Silverton, died. She was greatly missed by the cared persons she looked after on a regular basis.
Under the new schedule of work, carers will not call regularly on patients and they say that trusted relationships built up over time will not longer be allowed to happen.
Catherine Sweeney, the Dumbarton care worker who died during the Covid pandemic.
There is a small, poignant memorial to Catherine Sweeney which has been placed in Levengrove Park, Dumbarton, by her colleagues in the GMB trade untion.
The Health and Social Care Partnership, an arm’s length company attached to West Dunbartonshire Council, finance.
There is an unbridgeable gap between the HSCP and the Council, which was demonstrated when they removed a GP from his practise at Dumbarton health centre without consultation with the Council, or anyone else for that matter, and later had to reinstate him after a hearing before a judge at an employment tribunal.
Yesterday the carers gathered outside the Burgh Hall and waved flag and banners and blew whistles to attract attention to their situation, which is the introduction of a new schedule that will impact the hours they work and the pay they receive. Some of them will have to go out earlier in the morning (before 8am) and be paid less than they are now.
Meanwhile the councillors, one of whom’s mother receives help from four carers a day, seven days a week, have received a 23 per cent pay increase for turning up at meetings where some of them hardly ever even speak.
David Scott, GMB convener, Cllr Jim Bollan, Community Party and Cllr David McBride, deputy leader of the Labour Group on West Dunbartonshire Council.
“The new schedule for carers is not fair and it’s not just and as for the police turning up at our rally that is a disgrace beyond words,” said David Scott, the GMB trade union convener.
“We didn’t ask for them to come today so we take it that it was the Council chief executive Peter Hessett or a member of his staff who made the request. That is ridiculous. Some of our members were concerned about this.”
GMB union members pictured outside West Dunbartonshire council headquarters in Dumbarton.
Insside the hall where, as per usual, it was almost impossible to hear what was going on at what is supposed to be a public meeting, Councillor Jim Bollan made the salient point that carers could not in just seven minutes be expected to wash, dress, feed, medicate, comfort and somehow still care for frail, vulnerable people.
He accused Cllr David McBride, deputy leader of the Labour Group, who said he had never insisted on the seven minute rule, of having “lost his bottle” and not having the courage to stand up to the Health and Social Care Partnership or the SNP government and take the fight for justice further than they had so far.
It wasn’t right that the carers’ representatives had not been granted their request for meaningful talks about their wages and conditions of work.
Cllr McBride made a personal plea that while he supported the carers case, the Labour administration, whose numbers have been reduced markedly through resignations over this issue, had not been behind the cuts in the Carers’ Service.
Labour, whose numbers which gave them charge of the council administration had been reduced and through resignations left them without the necessary majority to form the administration, were prepared to resign and allow the SNP and new Independents to take over, but they were not prepared to do that.
After the meeting, carers who had turned up to demonstrate and to listen from the public gallery said: “The council have lost the plot. We couldn’t hear a word of what was said and we have got nowhere with these people who are determined to implement their new schedules no matter what we ask them to do for us”.
The Council, which sees itself as part of the HSCP set up when it suits them, will make no comment on this to The Dumbarton Democrat.We are banned from speaking to them and asking them questions about their questionable and unpopular decisions with council taxpayers such as this one.
HSCP staff awards 2019 PIC SHOWS Beth Culshaw with Marie McNair and Kerry Begg
Photo by Jamie Simpson/Marie Curie. MSPs give their support to Marie Curie’s largest fundraising appeal month, the iconic Great Daffodil Appeal, at the Scottish Parliament today (17 Mar). Supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal, which started in 1986, by donating and wearing a daffodil pin in March helps Marie Curie to continue providing vital palliative and end of life care and support. The leading end of life charity cared for over 9,000 terminally ill people across Scotland in their own homes and at its two Scottish hospices during 2020/21 – its highest number of patients on record since Marie Curie was established in 1948. MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Scottish political support helps Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal flourish MSPs, lend their support to Marie Curie’s largest fundraising appeal month, the iconic Great Daffodil Appeal, at the Scottish Parliament today (17 Mar). Following a parliamentary reception last night, MSPs met with staff and volunteers from Marie Curie, to hear about the care and support that is provided to people living with terminal illness, their families and carers across Scotland, especially throughout Covid-19. The leading end of life charity cared for over 9,000 terminally ill people across Scotland in their own homes and at its two Scottish hospices during 2020/21 – its highest number of patients on record since Marie Curie was established in 1948. Supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal, which started in 1986, by donating and wearing a daffodil pin in March helps Marie Curie to continue providing vital palliative and end of life care and support. Ellie Wagstaff, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Marie Curie, said: “With each daffodil worn, there is a personal story, and by donating and wearing your own daffodil, it allows us to continue being there for terminally ill people, their families and carers right across Scotland when they need support the most. “As a result of the pandemic, where hospital admissions for non-covid patients were reduced, there has been a 40% increase in deaths at home across the country, and Marie Curie’s Community Nursing Service experienced almost a 15% uplift in demand during 2020-21 as it continued supporting terminally ill people at home. “There has been a significant physical, emotional and financial impact on patients, their families and carers, and health and social care professionals during Covid-19 which will be long-lasting for years to come. “We must take key learnings from the pandemic to ensure that palliative and end of life care services, including bereavement support, both now and in the future are fully equipped to meet terminally ill people’s needs, as we know that by 2040, 10,000 more people will be dying with palliative care needs each year, with two thirds of all deaths likely to happen in community settings.” To find out more about the Great Daffodil Appeal, visit mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil Ends Notes to Editors Marie Curie’s annual flagship fundraising appeal, the Great Daffodil Appeal is taking place throughout March. The money raised helps to support the charity’s nurses, doctors, and hospice staff so they can continue working giving expert care to people at the end of life, and their families. For more information on how to fundraise or donate, visit: mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil About Marie Curie Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. The charity provides essential nursing and hospice care for people with any terminal illness, a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK. Marie Curie is committed to sharing its expertise to improve quality of care and ensuring that everyone has a good end of life experience. Marie Curie is calling for recognition and sustainable funding of end of life care and bereavement support. Natalie Davidson Senior PR & Communications Officer Marie Curie Care and support through terminal illness E: natalie.davidson@mariecurie.org.uk M: 07753258625 Media enquiries: media@mariecurie.org.uk (office hours) /0845 073 8699. For urgent out of hours media enquiries please call.
Although this contentious issue will most probably end up in the Scottish Parliament after the election on May 7, none of the MPS or candidates for West Dunbartonshire, Dame Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Helensburgh and Lomond, or Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, turned up for the rally. They were otherwise engaged at Holyrood.
The average number of visitors and views on The Dumbarton Democrat recorded today (Thursday) at 4.10pm is 5.9K.
