It was claimed vulnreable people will be placed at risk and in danger of being exploited when Fife Council’s shopping delivery and pension collection services are controversially withdrawn next month.
Pessure group Campaign Against Charges and Cuts (CACC) accused the local authority’s social work service of “reneging on promises” and said service users would be left to fend for themselves.
Maureen Closs, from CACC, said that despite reassurances, people who have been assessed as still needing the service with no other source of help are simply to be given a list of agencies who do this type of work.
She said, “It is appalling that this service is to go. Those who receive it are some of the most vulnerable people in Fife, many are housebound and have nobody to provide for them.
“There have been categorical assurances that the service would simply be delivered differently, however, it is now clear that social work have reneged on their promise to older and disabled people. “The list which is to be given out provides names of agencies and the hourly rate they charge for the service. This ranges from £6-£19.98; only one is listed as doing pension collection.
“CACC has had dozens of calls from people who were frantic at the thought of not having their shopping done and I feel that we have been complicit when we have reassured them that they would not be left high and dry.
“It was a lie that we bought into and we feel bitterly resentful at the way we and everyone else have been misled. It now seems that only those who can afford to pay will have access to services.
“The council is simply divesting themselves of their duty to provide assistance to those they have already assessed to be in need. They have not found anybody well enough off to charge, so instead of taking that message on board they are simply telling people they have to fend for themselves.
“Real questions have to be asked of Fife Council as to what their intentions have been from the off. Did they bring in assessors to appease people temporarily or is it the case that they don’t like the results that they are coming up with, namely that the vast majority of people receiving shopping and pension collection really cannot do without the service?
“Workers within the shopping service put together a paper in which they identified almost 50% savings for the service which has been ignored. It would appear that this is more about privatising services rather than budgetary constraints.
“This is an SNP/Lib Dem administration and yet the SNP in Holyrood have pledged to protect frontline services.”
Head of service with social work, Alistair Gaw, said, “Over the last three months, our dedicated team has been visiting and talking to everyone who currently receives the shopping delivery service. We are doing this to make sure the right support is directed to those who are most vulnerable.
“Everybody who currently receives the service will have been visited and had a personal letter detailing the way forward for them in the coming days. Anyone who needs support to access alternative services will get it to make sure they get the right service that suits them.
“As part of our preparations, a list of potential alternative providers has been circulated to staff and we are working with Fife Elderly Forum to further develop this.”
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Andy Welsher.