A private care company is pulling out of Oban following reports of missed visits to people in need.
Mears has promised that it will continue to operate until alternative providers can be found for all of its 36 clients.
A care crisis in the town was revealed last month by Kieron Green, Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Lead for Health and Social Care. He said at an area committee meeting that care companies were experiencing staffing problems and struggling to meet commitments.
The Press and Journal reported previously that patients were unable to leave Oban’s Lorn and the Islands Hospital because there were no care packages available for them.
Parkinson’s sufferer Tommy Wood lost his care package with Mears after he was taken into hospital with an infection.
Mr Wood said he hadn’t been impressed with the care offered by Mears, as they failed to turn up on several occasions and when they did arrive, only stayed for a short period of time.
He said he was happy with his new care package, being provided by the firm Care Plus.
A spokesman for Mears said: “We have decided to focus on our homecare services in Dunoon and Helensburgh to ensure we can continue to provide a good level of service in these areas. We are working with Argyll and Bute Council to transfer our services in Oban to new providers.”
A spokesman for the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) said: “We have been given notice by Mears of their intention to withdraw from providing homecare services in the Oban area and we are currently working closely with them to transfer their staff over to other local providers.
“Mears will also continue to provide homecare services until this process is completed which will ensure there is continuity of care for those individuals receiving homecare.
“Those clients who do currently receive care from Mears have been informed that there will be a change to their care provider and they have also been reassured that there will be no change to the level of service that they currently receive.
“We would also like to thank the home care providers and their staff, the community nursing team, the extended community care team, social work staff and the procurement team for their continuing hard work and dedication to homecare clients in the community.”
Mr Green said the safety of service users is the priority and there would be continuity of care during the hand over.
