Stirling Council’s adult social care panel chair has defended the consultation process which resulted in a decision to close Strathendrick Care Home in Balfron.
The proposal was approved by Clackmannanshire and Stirling Integration Joint Board – the body responsible for local health and social care – last month, as part of a wider reshape of rural care.
Ward councillor Alistair Berrill, fellow Tory councillor Jane Hutchison and independent councillor Rob Davies had urged the IJB to postpone any decision, saying the consultation process had been flawed and there had been attempts to run down the home over a longer period, but their request wasn’t considered.
The public later reacted angrily on social media to the news of the closure.
At a meeting of Stirling Council last week, however, the council’s adult social care panel chair Councillor Susan McGill defended the consultation process and told Councillor Berrill he was the only person who had come to her with any complaints about the outcome.
Councillor Berrill had asked if she agreed that the consultation process was “inadequate and should be carried out again”.
Councillor McGill said: “This is not a relevant question for the convenor of the Adult Social Care Panel since the matter does not fall within the remit of the panel nor does the panel have any authority in relation to decisions about integrated services and functions. The Integration Joint Board has already considered the consultation and made their decision.”
Information provided to councillors as part of Councillor McGill’s answer, however, stated: “The formal consultation went above and beyond what is required in terms of traditional consultation by using a ‘what matters to you’ approach that invited wider consideration of health and social care and invited people to talk about their desired outcomes.
“Although this consultation did talk about Strathendrick, community-based care and support, local care homes, Self Directed Support, respite/short breaks and more, we widened the engagement to ensure we could capture what matters to people in terms of the outcomes they want to see generally in a model of care and within their own communities.
“During the [consultation] discussions and in press and media releases it was made clear that the future usage of the Strathendrick House Care Home service was within scope of the engagement and consultation process.
“It was noted during the engagement that the levels of care and support that can be provided at Strathendrick House are limited due its residential care home status, meaning there is not nursing/clinical care on site. The residential model of care within Strathendrick can be provided safely within an individual’s home with care at home/reablement support or within another residential location of choice with further flexibility through the use of self-directed support options.
“Over the past few years there has been zero demand for residential care in Strathendrick and there are currently no long term residents. For the last few years Strathendrick House has provided limited amounts of short term respite care, however the home was not established or developed to be used as a respite service.”
Councillor Berrill, however, said the issue was one of “tremendous concern” to people in his ward and asked Councillor McGill if she had anything to say to them about the closure of the home and the adequacy of the consultation.
Councillor McGill said: “As stated, this was a remit of the IJB. The reason it came to the [council’s] adult social care panel was purely for information and further discussion, not to make a decision and not to make any recommendations.
“Personally I think you have wrong end of the stick. It wasn’t a consultation about Strathendrick, it was about what people want, what people need for their future lives, so it wasn’t about a building but about what people want and that is what happened. I have nothing further to say other than I think the officers did a very good job and it was an extensive consultation. Nobody has come to me with any complaints about the outcome of that consultation except yourself Councillor Berrill.”
Article originally appeared on the Daily Record
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