North-east care home to close in cutback drive

Dozens of social work jobs also likely to go in push to save £8.6m

By Calum Ross

Published:

DILAPIDATED: Croft House care home, which 40 residents will have to leave. Kenny Elrick

An Aberdeen care home is to close and 60 jobs could be axed from the city council’s social work department, it emerged last night.

Aberdeen City Council, which is expected to cut its social work budget by £8.6million next month, has confirmed it will shut Croft House care home in Oldcroft Place.

About 40 elderly residents will need to be moved from the building before it closes as a result of its dilapidated state.

The £300,000 saving from the home’s closure will be included in £24million of proposed cuts, backed this week by the local authority’s ruling Liberal Democrat-SNP administration.

It has also emerged that 60 posts are likely to be cut from the beleaguered social work department when councillors set the budget on December 17 – and that the Garden Craft sheltered employment centre could be transferred to a social enterprise charity.

Croft House had been earmarked for closure by the authority two years ago after falling into a state of disrepair.

The social work cuts, backed in full by the administration on Tuesday, were prepared by Philip Cotterill, the troubleshooter recruited by the Scottish Government to help the department reduce massive overspends.

He said: “We acknowledge that the standard of care at Croft House is first class but the firemaster has informed us that the building does not meet current safety requirements.

“Temporary enhanced staffing has been introduced as a result of these concerns.

“And the Care Commission, while acknowledging the good standards of care, has concurred with our view that the fabric of the building is poor.

“We will shortly be opening Rosewell and Coronation Court, which are of the highest quality and, while we know closure will be difficult for residents, family and staff, we will be doing all we can to ensure the transitions are as smooth as possible.”

Garden Craft, an outdoor furniture factory that employs about 20 disabled people, would be transferred to social enterprise to save £63,000 in the budget.

And more than half of the 60 posts likely to be cut are carers.

Social services in Aberdeen are to take a larger hit than any other council budget next month.

The move comes despite damning reports on the department from the Social Work Inspection Agency in May and government inspectors on child protection services this month.