Eight care services are now earmarked for closure as part of a major cost-cutting scheme across Aberdeenshire.
Papers released on Tuesday show that just six of the 14 services which have been on the chopping block since a spending crackdown was launched will be retained.
This comes as Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) bosses undertake a major overhaul of services across the region as they aim to save £17 million in the next financial year.
Alongside these brutal cuts, changes will be made to the eligibility criteria for social work.
This means that those graded as having a “low to moderate risk” as a result of missing out will no longer receive the same level of care.
Many of the care service closures have been put down to users no longer meeting the changed criteria, and the cost to the council for running the buildings.
The majority of the potential cuts are being made to disability day care services.
Which services are on the chopping block?
In total, eight care services have been earmarked for closure, with the board to vote on their fate next week.
The list of services due to be shut are:
- BEAT, Macduff
- Ellon Benchmark, Woodwork and Kindling Project
- Suite K Crimond Medical and Community Hub
- Buzzard Cafe, Pitscurry Project, Whiteford
- Ellon Can-Do
- Can-Do Recycling and Shop, Fraserburgh
- Connecting the Broch, Fraserburgh
- Woodcraft Project, Aden
But board members will still have to vote on whether to put the kibosh on them at next week’s meeting.
Why are Aberdeenshire health chiefs shutting eight social care services?
Setting out their reasoning in a lengthy dossier of 650 pages, officers have cited a number of reasons for axing the vital services across the north-east.
One of the prevailing sentiments is that many of the users no longer meet the criteria required to be able to receive their level of care.
In 2021, the AHSCP introduced its “learning disability strategy” in the south of the region, which outlined who is eligible for what level of service.
But this is now being expanded to the whole of Aberdeenshire.
Officers say that this will “ensure equitable service provision” for those in need.
The Press and Journal spoke to one concerned parent whose son no longer meets the criteria, and heard about the turmoil it has inflicted on her family.
Health bosses looking to slash building costs with care closures
Alongside the changes in eligibility, health bosses also say that the cost of running, maintaining, and leasing sites is too much with the mounting financial blackhole which needs to be filled.
Surveys were undertaken at all care service buildings, outlining which ones were still financially viable for the local authority to run.
For those facing the chop, officers say that ending the leases on these sites will save vital resources.
Alongside the buildings, care chiefs say cash can be saved through ditching the vehicles needed to operate the services.
Which Aberdeenshire social care services are being spared?
The hefty papers also lay out the six services which have avoided the cuts.
The care services which will be retained are:
- Banff Day Services
- Buchan Day Opportunities, Peterhead
- Ellon Resource Centre
- Inverurie Day Centre
- Pitscurry Project
- Robertson Road Resource Centre, Fraserburgh
Ellon parents had warned that closing the town’s centre would be a matter of “life or death” for their disabled children.
Health bosses say that these are being retained to make sure there are still services available in the north, centre, and south of Aberdeenshire.
What do you think of the closures? Let us know in our comments section below
What happens next?
Decision-makers will vote on the decision next Wednesday at the Integration Joint Board meeting.
You can view the full papers here.
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