No ‘total closure’ of Fife Council care homes

FIFE Council has ruled out the total closure of its care homes — but question marks remain over the heads of several facilities.

The social work and health committee this week decided to press ahead with a plan to build an £8m care home at Ostler’s Way, Kirkcaldy, which would replace Appin House and Raith Gates, and another in Dunfermline to replace the Matthew Fyfe home.

A motion proposed by Councillor David Torrance on behalf of the administration also instructed the executive director of social work to carry out a consultation on the plans on the options for future provision of residential, respite and day care currently provided at the Council’s remaining seven homes.

The local authority says none of the ten homes – some of which are 30 or 40 years old – are up to standard and that to repair and refurbish them would cost significantly more than the £40m available for the care home replacement programme.

Councillor Tim Brett, committee chairman, stressed that no decision would be made without consultation.

But he would not rule out the eventuality of closing the seven remaining homes, and transferring the residents to private care homes.

He added: “Sadly we all know the world has changed significantly in the last two and a half years.

‘‘We have less capital than we expected and we also have to make revenue savings. We have to look forward for 10 years against a background of rising numbers to look at what the best way forward is.

‘‘We need to find a way forward which is affordable, sustainable and still puts people a the heart of what we do.”

An amendment from the opposition recommended instructing officers to appoint a private company that specialises in care home design and construction to bring forward plans to replace the 10 homes for under £40m.

It also recommended establishing a stakeholder group to look at the costs of the £16m project.

Opposition leader Cllr Alex Rowley questioned the cost, asking if a top of the range private sector care home costs £3.2m, then why are the Council spending £8m each on theirs.

He said: “I do believe that if we go ahead with this we will see some of our homes closed.

“There has been a scare, because families were contacted to say this report was going ahead. There are elderly people sitting in these homes wondering where they will be sitting this time next Christmas.

“The idea that we simply privatise or close the homes is not the way forward.

The committee voted eight to five in favour of the administration’s proposals.

Cllr Andrew Rodger also attacked the option to close the care homes, saying “They are running this council how an accountant runs a council.

‘‘They know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.”

Following the consultation it is likely that a decision on the future of the homes will be made after the budget in February.