Council care homes sale attacked

Highland care homes could come under private ownership

Plans to sell seven Highland Council care homes to the private sector have been attacked by the Scottish Socialist Party and senior citizen groups.

They have accused the local authority of putting its financial needs above those of the elderly.

The council is reviewing its provision of care homes in light of new tougher Care Commission standards.

It said the independent sector would be able to cut the cost of care by £10,000 for each person per year.

Steve Arnott, Scottish Socialist spokesman for the Highlands and Islands, said the council's role was to provide public sector, quality care for senior citizens.

He said: "If they have a problem they should make an appeal to the Scottish Executive for funding.

Protest staged

"If the private sector makes a profit you can only assume the quality of care will be less than that provided by the council."

He added that his view was shared by members of various senior citizens organisations in the Highlands, some of whom had staged a small protest outside the Highland Council building in Inverness on Wednesday.

The council's housing and social work committee, who approved the sales, also agreed to close Corsee Home in Nairn, due to "high running costs and low demand for places".

Councillor Margaret Davidson, committee chairman, said: "Members have made it very clear indeed that they want to retain the very best services for older people, delivered in their local communities.

Home care

"This is entirely what the current exercise is about - providing the highest quality of service, which offers the best value for money for every community care pound we spend."

She added that too much money had been tied up in providing care homes to enable the council to develop a modern home care service for older people who wanted to remain in their own home.

The council, which spends £11m per year on providing care for 330 residents in 21 care homes, said the present situation was not cost effective.

The matter will now go before the full council for final approval.