Three Months To Find Care Home Cash

Council officials in Shetland will spend the next three months finding almost £1 million needed each year to run a new temporary care home. Shetland Islands Council’s services committee listened sympathetically to the idea of turning parts of Lerwick’s Montfield hospital into a much needed care facility.

However the SIC has no budget for the £900,000 annual running costs, leading councillor Alastair Cooper to warn his colleagues not to “blow” another million. Convener Sandy Cluness agreed that the funding had to be in place before a final decision could be made, probably in December.

With an aging population, the islands are facing a rapidly growing care crisis. At present there are 11 hospital patients who can not be discharged because there are no specialised care places available.
The proposal is to create 16 temporary care places at Montfield, which NHS Shetland plans to vacate later this year, unblocking hospital beds.

The move would also buy social care managers time to come up with a long term solution for care in Shetland. The plan was yesterday hailed as a “united and unified approach” by the SIC and NHS Shetland.