Outrage at severance for care home workers

WORKERS at council-run care homes are not likely to get severance packages that reflect their hours when they close, according to their union.

GMB representative Rowena Hayward told a council committee that proposals for the closure of eight Bristol care homes over the next three years would see low-paid workers receiving payouts for the part-time hours they are contracted for – and not those they actually work.

“Many of our members are contracted to work ten to 15 hours, even though they work 50 to 60 hours a week but their redundancy will not entitle them to what they have been earning over the last ten years and that is a disgrace and an outrage for one of the biggest employers in Bristol,” said Ms Hayward.

The Post reported last week that the council is looking to close most of its residential homes, along with seven of its day services, over the next three years.

About 190 of the 212 people currently living in council-run residential homes will need to move to alternative accommodation under the proposals for the “modernisation” of care services in the city.

Ms Hayward urged members of Bristol’s health and adult social care scrutiny commission to look closely at the proposals during their meeting yesterday and consider the impact on the 130 employees, many of whom live in the areas where they are currently employed.

Bristol Older People’s Forum chairwoman Judith Brown – who sits on the committee – said: “This isn’t filling tins of peas, this is caring for people and if we get rid of so many of our own caring facilities and the people who take the slack go down, what is going to happen to residents and what is going to happen to people who go to our day centres?”

The council’s director of health and social care, Alison Comley, told the meeting: “In terms of quality, not all the 45 non-council homes are for profit. There are also those that are not-for-profit and I think they would challenge you in terms of the quality of services they are providing.”

Labour and Conservative party representatives said they broadly agreed with the proposals but would like to see the Liberal Democrat-run council retain at least one more residential home.

Jenny Smith (Lab, Southmead) said: “We would like, if we were in power, four homes. We support keeping people in their communities whenever possible – the community they live in and where their friends are – and we support keeping people in their own home because we know they feel safe if they stay in their own home – but we must protect older people in our communities.”

Mrs Smith said that the current proposals would leave Brislington West without a care home and that Labour would also like to see four day service hubs rather than the three outlined in the proposals.

Committee chairwoman Lesley Alexander (Con, Frome Vale) said: “The Conservative group think that broadly this is on the right lines. We think that three homes might not be enough.”

Steve Comer (Lib Dem, Eastville), said that the numbers using the council-run care showed that they perhaps were not “fit for purpose”.

“It is difficult for those in the system but the cost of running undersubscribed homes is money that should be going on care.”

Ms Comley said the council had invested in rehabilitation services for people who have been in hospital and that may have led to the drop in numbers in its care homes.

She said: “We need to do both of these things well and would want to do both well. There us a real responsibility for us in health and social care to get the processes and outcomes right.”