Wade Care Centre at the centre of an investigation

HIGHLAND Council has launched an investigation into allegations that staff have been abusing the facilities at one of their residential care homes in the strath.

All employees at the Wade Centre in Kingussie have been issued with letters telling them that the council is probing claims of “alleged unprofessional behaviour”.

Complaints levelled against the 25 staff members are that:

    * food intended for clients has been removed from the care home;
    * other foodstuffs and cleaning materials have been stolen from the Wade Centre by staff;
    * employees have been making and receiving personal telephone calls on a regular basis at the centre.
    * There have also been individual complaints made against specific staff members, including falling asleep on duty, bringing a dog to work, and doing their washing while on duty.

Two letters have so far been issued to staff, and Ms Frances Gair, Highland Council’s acting area community care manager for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, met workers last Wednesday.

Mr John Richards, the council’s acting assistant area social work manager, is heading the investigation on behalf of the local authority.

The investigation was sparked by a letter received by the authority.

An angry partner of one worker at the care centre on the town’s Spey Street has accused Highland Council of conducting a “witch-hunt”.

The individual, who did not want to be named, said: “Neither of these notices carried any heading that they were of a personal, confidential or sensitive nature.

“The first bore an illegible signature pro parte Frances Gair. The second was an invitation to implicate others.

“The whole matter is pointless at best, and with a part-time manager for a 24/7 operation who is only there at most two days a week, and lives in Forres, it is obvious that this ill-conceived action is a continuation of Highland Council’s long-term aim to close the Wade Centre. There has already been a whole series of plans trumpeted about and then promptly forgotten.

“The staff and clients are infuriated and demoralised by this heavy-handed, tactless display of incompetence by Highland Council’s social work department.

“Every indication is that this is a baseless grudge complaint by someone associated with but not working at the Wade Centre.

“Highland Council seem to have nothing better to do than blindly waste time and money on anonymous, unverifiable complaints, demoralise their staff and clients, and then hide behind their own ‘procedures’.

“There are always complaints about shortages of resources for social work, but looking at this ongoing fiasco, Council Tax payers will want some explanations for Highland Council’s priorities in this area.”

The individual said that some of the complaints being made were very trivial. “In any organisation of this nature you will get people making phone calls, and residents and users of the Wade Centre have their own pets on the premises.”

They added: “My partner in fact brings in food and flowers for the residents.”

But a source separate from Highland Council claimed that some staff there had been abusing the facilities at the Continued on Page 2 Wade Centre for a considerable time because there was no proper supervision.

They only employ Mrs Dot Dolan on a part-time basis to oversee the home, which has eight permanent care beds and two respite beds, as well as offering day care.

Health campaigners in the town said in a joint statement attributed to Helen Cook, Mairi Brown, Tom Wade and Jean Filshie that their main concern has always been for the welfare of the residents.

They said they had always supported Wade Centre staff in their efforts to provide good care, although they were aware of the detrimental effect of having only a very part-time manager.

They stated: “Highland Council’s original agenda was to close the facility, but we have their word that this is no longer the case, and they did promise us increased services at the centre.

“We have no knowledge of the complaints received by the council, or in what form they came, but copies of the two letters from headquarters sent to staff have been given to us anonymously.

“The tone of the letters staff have received, and the request that they implicate others – or else sign a statement that there is nothing of concern at the centre – seems a truly extraordinary way to proceed, and the whole situation gives us great cause for concern.” Highland councillor Gregor Rimell refused to be drawn on the allegations, stating that he could not get directly involved in management issues.

However, he said that the case had highlighted that Highland Council’s boundaries were blurred when it came to matters of personnel.

Mr Rimell said: “This shows the need for the council to have a dedicated human resources service. Everyone in the council, regardless of where they work and in which department, should receive the same uniform treatment.”

Ms Harriet Dempster, Highland Council’s director of social work, said that the council takes all complaints seriously.

She said: “It is important that we do this to safeguard the wellbeing of our residents, and to maintain public confidence. I appreciate that when complaints are made, it is always difficult for staff who are doing a good job.

“Officers are looking into this complaint by undertaking interviews. I totally refute the suggestion that this is a witch-hunt. It is a genuine effort to investigate the matter to determine whether there has been misuse of resources.”

Wade Centre staff have been informed that they are entitled to be accompanied by a representative at their meeting with Mr Richards, and warned that it could lead to a disciplinary hearing if there is evidence of wrongdoing.