The head of the high-profile inquiry into Rochdale’s sex trafficking scandal has condemned the state of social care in Scotland – and claimed services in Inverness are “dreadful”.
Labour MP Ann Coffey revealed last night that she has been left shocked by the standard of care in the Highland capital, and branded services across the country as a “complete car crash”.
Mrs Coffey, who was born in Inverness and attended Nairn Academy, said that for the last two-and-a-half years she has been a distant carer for a close relative who lives in the city and has Alzheimer’s Disease.
The Stockport MP, who chaired the 2014 inquiry into child exploitation in Greater Manchester, was alarmed by the lack of properly trained care workers in the area.
She told the Press and Journal: “I have had a personal family circumstance in which I’ve found it very hard to get the services I need to support the relative.
“I’ve been a distant carer for two-and-a-half years. It has been very, very distressing and I can assure you I have not found social care in Inverness to be wonderful.
“I’m not saying that is very different in England, because the state of social care is appalling everywhere.
“I have a concern about social care funding in the UK. I have a concern about it in England and I have highlighted that concern.
“But I also, from my own personal experience, have exactly the same social care concerns in Scotland.
“The Scottish Government shouldn’t be complacent about it. They shouldn’t pretend that there isn’t a problem with social care here in Scotland, because there is.”
Mrs Coffey also believed that the Scottish Government’s free personal care policy undermined standards north of the border.
“It comes down to proper funding, and recruiting staff that are well-trained and well paid. You can see it’s a complete car crash,” she said.
An NHS Highland spokesman said: “We would encourage Ann Coffey MP to contact NHS Highland’s director of adult social care Joanna MacDonald to discuss any concerns she may have.”
Scottish Government public health minister Aileen Campbell said: “This government is committed to shifting the proportion of health spend in to community care services, and we have already made progress.
“This year we have allocated a further £250million from the NHS to integration authorities to protect and grow our social care services and deliver our shared priorities, including paying care workers supporting vulnerable adults the Living Wage.
“This is on top of the £500million we’re already investing over three years to support the integration of health and social care.”
