The future use of Strathendrick Care Home is among the issues up for debate in a public consultation on rural Stirling healthcare.
Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), which delivers adult and older people community health and social care services across Clackmannanshire and Stirling Council areas, this week launched the second stage of a consultation process in the Forth and Endrick ward.
Residents and other key stakeholders in the area are being invited to participate in a series of virtual events and an online survey which the body says will help shape the future delivery of care and support “in a more person-centred way”.
This includes respite care, personal care at home, self-directed support, support to unpaid carers and residential and nursing care.
The HSCP says the engagement aims to continue to develop an “individual outcomes approach” to care and support for people living in the area.
Among the topics expected to be raised is the future use of Strathendrick Care Home in Balfron, which has been closely followed by locals in the area in recent years.
Balfron Community Council said last month that its closure had been confirmed at an open forum for the first time, with the reason given being that the facilities and services offered there were not appropriate for the model of care now deemed necessary for those who require the full range of health and social care services available during periods of respite.
While the 12-bed home was mostly used latterly as a respite centre, it had not initially been intended for that purpose and at one point had just one full time resident.
The care home first faced the axe three years ago to support the funding of Stirling Care Village but the closure was averted when councillors for the area, including ward councillor Alastair Berrill, persuaded Stirling Council of the need for a local care hub, providing short-term respite care and intermediate care.
The integrated joint board later became the body responsible for the service at the home, despite Stirling Council owning the building.
Last summer Councillor Berrill sought assurances after there appeared to be no real budget for the home. Most recent budget figures show that, while the designated budget had been set at just £2000 pending any decision on its use, the projected annual expenditure for the home was £478,000.
The council’s finance and economy committee was told in February 2020 that an options appraisal was underway in the HSCP but that no decisions had been made and the council would have to wait for the outcome from the IJB.
In December 2019 social care bosses from the HSCP denied any imminent plans to stop services for the elderly at the rural care home and said no decision had been taken. The previous month council social care managers said they were looking into the possibility of using Strathendrick for other types of care, including for children, and that the IJB was considering whether it could be used for adults with disabilities.
An HSCP spokesperson said this week: “We are currently reviewing the way care and support is delivered in the south-west Stirling area. This includes respite care, self-directed support, support to unpaid carers and residential and nursing care.
“Our aim is to deliver outcome-focused modern care and support to more people in their own homes. Strathendrick will be considered within this work, alongside all of our services, focusing on social care as a priority.
“We will continue to engage with communities in this area throughout this process, and a final report on the consultation will be considered before a decision is made on the future model of care.”
The virtual events in stage two of the consultation will be hosted online via Microsoft Teams and will take the form of interactive workshops on: Wednesday, February 3 (7pm-9pm); Monday, February 8 (2-4pm); and Thursday, February 18 (2-4pm). Interested parties should register initially at Eventbrite. The digital survey will run until March 15. People unable to access the survey online can call 01786 404040 (February 1 – March 15) to complete it.
Article originally appeared on the Daily Record.
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