Concerns North carers may lose their voice in scrapping contract

Fears have been raised that the cancellation of a £240,000 Highland care contract will lead to the loss of valuable services in the region.

The council and NHS Highland’s joint contract for support of carers and care users is currently held by charity Highland Community Care Forum (HCCF), but it is due to end in June with the loss of 10 jobs. The charity provides support to nine local care forums and 40 lunch clubs across the Highlands, including the popular Sunday lunch club at the Royal Highland Hotel in Inverness. The Highland Council has said it is developing new services and that, while there will be a gap in provision, the lunch clubs will continue. Highlands and islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant raised concerns in the Scottish Parliament earlier this week that the “lifeline” service of the charity may be unable to survive when the contract ends. Ms Grant asked parliament to note the vital role such clubs play in supporting older people in Inverness-shire, and called for an extension to the contract. She questioned whether a consultation element of the contract would remain accountable and transparent as Highland Council and NHS Highland plan to take it in-house. She said: “Highland Council and NHS Highland may not always like what HCCF says, but it voices the thoughts and concerns of the people it seeks to represent. It is the first point of contact for many carers, who cannot afford to lose it.” There will be a gap of several months while the council develops its new strategy for the contract and HCCF executive director Sheena Munro said she was concerned that the gap between contracts could see the 20 years of research and support networks in the Highlands being lost. Mrs Munro said the forums were a trusted key support mechanism in the local area. The council’s director of social work, Bill Alexander, said they were developing a comprehensive strategy for a new community engagement service as the current service structure was not sufficient. He said: “There will be a gap while we develop the new service. “We will engage with the full range of organisations involved. We know that we need to provide far more effective direct support to community groups to develop activity along a continuum from volunteering to social enterprise.” He added: “This won’t affect lunch clubs – they will go on. It won’t affect service delivery.” Mr Alexander said: “I don’t see any accountability issue. We need direct links with service users and carers. Across Scotland that’s how it’s done. “We need to do a lot more to engage with and support the community. HCCF really aren’t trusted to do that.”