Progress Made In Care Home Review

The Highland Council's Care Home Sub-Committee today (Thursday) agreed to recommend that tender documents for future residential care home provision in Mid and East Ross should include replacement homes for Duthac House, Tain, and Urray House, Muir of Ord. The Sub-Committee agreed that they should seek care provision at both locations, rather than ask for one replacement home for 56 places.

Members also recommended that Wade Centre, Kingussie, should continue as a base for all day care, which would be augmented by home care and sheltered housing, and become a modern community care unit.  The Sub-Committee agreed that the tender documents should include provision for 30 residential places for Badenoch and Strathspey, currently provided at the Wade Centre and Grant House, Grantown.

Also included in the tendering process are Ach-an-Eas Home, Inverness; Burnside Home, Inverness, and Invernevis House, Fort William. It is proposed to provide 44 new residential care places in Inverness and 30 in Fort William.

The Sub-Committee agreed to continue to consult with residents, their families, staff and local action groups and to extend the period to allow for more discussion with local communities before the specification for the tender documents are considered at a special meeting of the Housing and Social Work Committee on Thursday 4 May.

The Care Home Sub-Committee held its second meeting at Inverness today (Thursday), when a number of representatives attended the meeting, having previously presented the Convener Councillor Alison Magee and Housing and Social Work Chairman, Councillor Margaret Davidson, with petitions.

Councillor Magee, who chairs the Sub-Committee, said: "We had a very constructive meeting today and have moved a number of matters forward in a positive way. We are clear that we want the independent sector to come forward with plans for modern facilities, which maintain the very high standard of care provided in our care homes - in high quality modern surroundings. We have to modernise the way we provide care to older people in recognition of the projected 37% increase in older people over the next 20 years.  We need to provide services fit for purpose and put in place a comprehensive range of care measures."

Vice-Convener Councillor Michael Foxley said: "We want to provide for more and better packages of care for our elderly – either in their own homes or in sheltered housing. We want to develop our proposals by working with the local communities and with our colleagues in the health service."

Councillor Davidson welcomed the setting up of a special meeting of the Housing and Social Work Committee to discuss the specifications to feature in the tender documents for the new provision.

She said: "This is such an important matter that we need a special meeting of the committee to give the time and attention to discuss the many issues surroundings the proposals. This gives us additional time to consult with local communities to tailor services to local needs. We made very good progress today and I think many people left the meeting more informed and less concerned than when they arrived. We will endeavour to do everything we can over the coming weeks to communicate clearly with our residents, their families and staff as well as the local action groups that have established."

She said that the Council’s tender may attract bids for new build facilities, which would assist to minimise disruption to residents.