I am deeply concerned about the effect devastating cuts will have on our care homes and residents.
Under current IJB proposals, Clovenstone, Ferrylee, Ford's Road and Jewel House Care Homes have been judged to be unsuitable and would be closed. A further care home, Drumbrae would close as a care home and switch to hospital-based complex clinical care.
Closing four care homes and changing the role of another without proper and meaningful consultation is short-sighted.
Equally, without having a fully-costed plan in place on how community care and care at home would be an adequate replacement to those already provided is a dangerous precedent to set.
Throughout the covid pandemic, care workers have put the health and wellbeing of residents before that of themselves and families. This will not have been an easy decision to make, but one care workers have done to look after the most vulnerable in our society.
We need the support of the Scottish Government to start planning and financing the next generation of modern fit-for-purpose care homes in Edinburgh.
We also need Councillors to stand up and be a voice for council run care homes.
Why is this important?
Scotland’s care system already relies too heavily on homes that are run for profit. Edinburgh can buck that trend by supporting Council-run care homes that focus on providing quality care not the making of money. I urge you to back UNISON's campaign to Save Our Care Homes.