The future of care homes in Forfar and Carnoustie is under review after health bosses officially removed the threat of closure from an Arbroath facility.
Seaton Grove campaigners said the Angus Integration Joint Board decision to keep the 48-bed home open is a “step in the right direction” but are vowing to keep the pressure on after failing to secure a promise of its future beyond the next five years.
Angus Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) attention is now also focused on Beech Hill House in Forfar and Carnoustie’s Kinloch Care Home, which have been branded costly to run in comparison to private sector provision.
A pledge has been made they are not, however, being lined up for closure.
George Bowie, AHSCP head of Community Health and Care Services (South) told an Angus IJB meeting in Forfar: “Analysis of supply and demand for care home places in Angus over the first half of 2019 has identified that, while there are relatively high numbers of care home places per head of population in the Arbroath area, demand is consistently high and includes people from the whole of Angus and beyond.
“Availability of residential care home beds on a weekly basis usually sits at around ten places. This margin of availability is tight but currently manageable.”
He also highlighted the risk to residential place provision caused by the administration of private sector provider Four Seasons.
“In this context, the potential closure of all 48 places at Seaton Grove would cause significant difficulties in meeting our statutory duties and should not be further pursued.”
Mr Bowie told IJB members that while the Forfar and Carnoustie homes are of a very good environmental standard, their size of 16 places each, combined with design and staffing complements, make them expensive to operate.
“The in-house care homes are currently used to provide different models of residential care than are provided in private care homes and the potential to vary the use of these places in response to changes in demand is a valuable asset.”
A residential review group will continue its scrutiny of options for the future of the three homes, including the potential development of a separate unit within Seaton Grove for people with a long-term mental illness.
Mr Bowie said preliminary discussions over the future use of Beech Hill House have already taken place, but were complicated by the legal implications of the property ownership model there.
“This is a very complex review and I think there’s an appeal for patience for us to get to the end point,” he said.
Sheena Welsh of the Friends of Seaton Grove, who were at the meeting to hear the IJB deliver the reprieve said: “We’re very pleased the threat of immediate closure has been removed and there appears to be some reassurance of the next three to five years.
“The strength of community feeling in Arbroath on this issue has been well heard and we will be keeping the pressure on to secure the long-term future of Seaton Grove.”
