Bosses from CrossReach the Social Care Council of the Church of Scotland met with residents, relatives and staff last night to discuss a proposed scheme to refurbish one of its care homes after planning permission for a new building was refused by Aberdeenshire Council.

THE SNP is accusing the Lib Dem led Highland Council administration of trying to privatise Grant House and other care homes in the region through the back door.

PLANS for a £110million emergency care centre in Aberdeen took a major step forward yesterday when the NHS Grampian board approved the business case for the project.

A FRAUDSTER who befriended a nursing home resident to steal her cash was jailed for nine months yesterday. Cleaner Julie Lamb, 35, stole the pensioner’s PIN and bank card while working at Aberdeen’s Rubislaw Care Home last year.

Staff employed within the largest of Glasgow City Council’s hived-off companies will have their hours and salaries drastically cut or face as many as 800 redundancies.

FAMILIES in Angus were told about sex offenders who had access to their children on four occasions after the launch of a pilot disclosure scheme in September last year.

Scotland’s first ever suicide prevention advert has been broadcast on television. The advertisement shows a withdrawn young workman choking up the word suicide on to a pub table after a day at work in a warehouse.

The University of Stirling has developed a new course for the carers of people with dementia to help increase the levels of physical activity they take part in.Following a successful pilot, the Meaningful Activities for People with Dementia level 1 SQA course is now set to be rolled out across the country.

Blind and visually-impaired children are being turned down for places at a national centre of excellence by cash-strapped councils reluctant to pay the fees.

Vulnerable children and family services are among those likely to be hit by a new wave of cost-cutting in care provision by the Church of Scotland.