New £18 million care vision approved
A new £18 million vision for community care in South Lanarkshire has been given the green light but without unanimous support.
The minority SNP administration recently unveiled plans to roll out a social care model road-tested in East Kilbride.
Plans to close two care homes – Kirkton in Blantyre and McWhirters in Larkhall – and replace them with a new hub in Blantyre were approved at a meeting of the council’s social work resources committee.
It will provide intermediate care for older people who do not need to be in hospital and should be able to return home after a relatively short period of help from a range of on-site specialists.
The motion passed although Labour and the sole Liberal Democrat voted against the proposals.
A Tory amendment to accept proposals for the new Hamilton-area centre, while also allowing councillors to later decide specific measures for other areas when those plans are available, was passed with the support of the Independents Group.
Labour have accused the SNP of railroading through proposals without proper consultation.
East Kilbride Central North councillor and leader of the Labour Group in South Lanarkshire, Joe Fagan, said: “The way this has been handled by the SNP administration has been completely and utterly shambolic.
“The plans voted through by the SNP and the Tories will mean care home closures and cuts to bed numbers.
“Fundamental questions about the impact of the closures and the proposed new model of care have not been answered. It’s no way to make changes on this scale.”
Clydesdale South councillor Colin McGavigan, the Conservative Group’s acting spokesman for social work resources, said: “As a responsible opposition it would have been utterly wrong to stand in the way of a new facility that will deliver much-needed transitional care places for up to 260 more Hamilton area patients every year.
“Our amendment also made clear councillors will not approve changes for Clydesdale, East Kilbride and Rutherglen and Cambuslang without equally specific local proposals.”
Chair of social work resources, and SNP Cambuslang West councillor John Bradley, said: “While our staff deliver the best possible care it is unavoidable that four of our homes are nearing the end of their tenure. This provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to develop a new model designed to improve the lives of older people.
“Too often being admitted to a residential home as a result of a short-term concern results in an older person moving into long-term care.”