Borders Council to restructure adult care provision

Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has announced plans to restructure its adult care provision, moving services to a council-owned care company from April 2015.

The Arms Length Council Owned company (ALEO) will see approximately 800 care staff at the end of March 2015 being transferred into the new organisation on their existing terms and conditions.

The services being transferred include Homecare, Extra Care, Residential Care, and Day Services.

The council sees the key benefits of the ALEO as:

• 100% owned by SBC thus ensuring control of any profits and the strategic direction of the company, including the option of bringing the services back ‘in house’ at any time in the future.
• More business focussed and ability to concentrate solely on social care provision to service users and clients.
• Reduction in the projected running costs of services.
• The ability to provide and sell a range of services to people who do not meet the Council’s current eligibility criteria and thereby produce profit and a broader range of service options. More efficient deployment of resources resulting in efficiency savings.
• The ability to continue to provide quality services that are more cost effective and thereby more affordable to people who will be purchasing care through Self Directed Support.
• The ability to provide a more responsive service at a local level to service users and carers.

Speaking about the move, Councillor Frances Renton, Executive Member for Social Work and Housing, said: “I am confident that with the commitment that is being shown toward this project by councillors and officers alike, service users, carers and other stakeholders will be seeing the benefits of the Council care company in the new financial year.