Councillors claim vulnerable residents are being let down by Fife’s use of private care staff

Vulnerable Fifers are being failed by private home care companies at weekends, it has been claimed.

The Courier understands some elderly people have been left in their beds for up to 48 hours when private firms paid by Fife Council have not turned up.

Moves to bring in private staff to look after more people across the region as the social work service strives to balance the books have been condemned by two Fife councillors.

Labour leader Alex Rowley and independent councillor Andrew Rodger said they rejected the approach of privatisation and ”care on the cheap,” and claimed people would be put at risk if the local authority continued on that route.

Their allegations have been flatly denied by Fife Council, which said it was committed to providing the highest possible standard of care whether it be through the public or private sector.

Around a third of Fife’s home care is delivered by private companies who charge £10 per hour for their services, while it costs the council £14 per hour to provide care in-house.

With the number of people aged 75 and over set to increase by 20% in the next two years, the local authority’s already pressured social work budget is set to be stretched to the limit.

They say it therefore makes sense to look at options for increased “partnership working” with voluntary and private enterprise as they look to deliver the same results more efficiently.

The SNP/Lib Dem council has been under fire for opting to privatise care home services, and the latest news has triggered alarm bells with Mr Rowley and Mr Rodger, who both cited examples of “major failings” involving private home care.

Mr Rowley told The Courier of a weekend during which nine Kelty residents were left without help to get out of bed and have breakfast because a carer from a private company had not arrived for work and had not been replaced.

The local authority has called for debate about how to change social work services.

This has been welcomed by Mr Rowley, who said: ”We must acknowledge and accept that care in the community is not the cheap option and offering up service delivery to the cheapest bidder is simply not acceptable.

”Caring for the most vulnerable in our community cannot be left to market forces.”

Social work committee chairman Tim Brett said he had asked service head Stephen Moore to ensure all home care provision is monitored.

”They are saying all private provision is bad. I totally reject that,” he said. ”We need private and voluntary sector provision to supplement and meet the need the council is not able to provide.

”I’m not concerned about who provides the care as long as it’s provided to the highest possible standards.”

Mr Brett added: ”We welcome serious debate on changing social work services to meet modern, challenging times, because we owe it to the people of Fife to get it right.”