Health chiefs say they won’t close ANY care homes or “very sheltered housing” sites in Aberdeenshire this year – putting an end to months of uncertainty for worried residents.
The Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) announced drastic plans to save about £20 million earlier this year.
Scores of services came under threat as bosses scrambled to make savings.
And the cash-saving crusade sparked concerns that very sheltered housing complexes and care homes in the north-east could be closed within months.
The local authority has seven “in house” care homes – respectively, in Aboyne, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Peterhead, Portsoy and Stonehaven.
There are six very sheltered housing units in the region – in Banchory, Banff, Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Mintlaw and Turriff.
Worried residents were left fearing being turfed out of their homes – with their whole world turned upside down.
Why are very sheltered housing complexes being spared?
For the past few months, health chiefs have been battling to see how they can balance the books.
They agree that spending on these facilities is “not sustainable nor financially viable”.
And their investigations considered whether savings could be made by closing these 13 sites.
However, a report unveiled on Tuesday reveals that closing such complexes would still not be “feasible”.
Especially considering the desperate aim to slash spending within just six months.
The AHSCP bosses say it would be “significantly cost prohibitive based on current information”.
And therefore “alternative measures to reduce the budget deficit must be progressed”.
Why would it cost so much money?
Those leading the savings project had to weigh up whether affected staff could be redeployed within a 25-30 mile radius.
The new report explains that, with other options limited, workers might have to be made redundant.
And this costly redundancy process could mean bosses have to shell out even more money at a time they are trying to cut costs.
It states: “At this time, staff redeployment opportunities are considered to be extremely limited and therefore the worst-case scenario for redundancy and associated costs required to be considered.”
Aberdeenshire care home closures ‘concern people’s homes’
Bosses also had to judge whether there would be “sufficient alternative accommodation opportunities” for residents in the same 25-30 mile vicinity.
Management say they were “acutely aware of and sensitive to the fact that this concerns people’s homes”.
And, battling tight deadlines, they now admit the aim of rehoming those displaced residents would be “unlikely to be achievable”.
Leigh Jolly, chief officer for the AHSCP concludes that “at this time”, these closures “could not be achieved safely “.
Do you fear for the future of the sheltered housing complexes? Let us know in our comments section below
So what next in Aberdeenshire care home closures threat?
While the new report lifts the threat of these closures as part of the current spree, it warns that things can not keep going as they are for much longer.
The reprieve is only for this financial year and the papers state that a “viable and sustainable” model needs to be established.
Officials will now examine the “scope and capacity” for private providers to take over through “more detailed provider engagement”.
And price hikes will be “accelerated” to “address and ensure the financial viability” of the institutions.
The report concludes: “Potential future growth opportunities in Aberdeenshire require further exploration as well as being cognisant of the similar challenges facing providers in terms of finance and demand.”
‘This will come as a relief’
Gordon and Buchan MP Harriet Cross today welcomed the move to remove these proposals from the table for now.
She said: “This recommendation will come as a relief to care home and very sheltered housing residents, who, understandably, have been worried about the prospect of being moved out of these facilities.”
This decision does not affect the separate proposals being carried out by Aberdeenshire Council to potentially close 17 sheltered housing complexes in the region.
The council has now launched a consultation on the 17 affected facilities.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Alexander Burnett, pleaded for these too to be scrapped.
He said: “It’s vital all sheltered housing across Aberdeenshire is safeguarded against such moves.”
Read more:
Under-fire health boss says at-risk Aberdeenshire carers ‘spend half their time not working’
Conversation