The bitter fight to save Perth’s last publicly-owned care home is not over, MP Pete Wishart has promised.
The controversial decision to axe Beechgove care home was made by the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board (IJB) on Friday.
Mr Wishart blasted the outcome saying: “There has been a very active campaign from residents’ families and concerned members of the public and it is disgraceful that this decision has ignored all of this work.
“Residents have been badly let down by the manner in which this decision has been taken.
“It is a democratic outrage that this well-regarded care home has been scheduled for closure despite cross party support to keep the facility open. As far as I am concerned the fight to save Beechgrove is not over.”
His party colleague, MSP Roseanna Cunningham, agreed and said it did not present the IJB in a good light.
“Residents, their families and community representatives have been let down in this process but the campaign continues,” she said.
Councillor Dave Doogan, leader of the SNP group on Perth and Kinross Council, agreed adding: “I hope the cross party consensus to reverse this decision is maintained and proves successful.”
What steps can be taken to reverse the decision are however unclear and within hours Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership said they would start the ball rolling on the process of moving the 12 remaining elderly residents.
“The closure of Beechgrove and the commissioning of care for the clients living there will be done with great care,” said a spokesperson.
“Over the coming weeks and months social workers will work very closely with individual clients and families to help them move to an alternative care home of their choice, providing support, advice and guidance during a time that will understandably be stressful for them.
“Meetings with families and clients will be arranged as soon as possible to discuss their preferred options for relocation and timescales.”
Among those affected by the closure is Sheila Harris whose husband Graeme’s mother Betty – who will be 96 on Tuesday – is a resident. She backed the politicians’ efforts to fight the closure.
“We would absolutely support anything that would safeguard Beechgrove as I feel so strongly, not just due to personal circumstances, that this is an essential service for Perth city and there is scope for it to be used to benefit the community even more,” said Mrs Harris.
Call to overhaul decision-making body
A call has been made to overhaul the “undemocratic and unaccountable structure” of the body which made the decision to close Beechgrove House care home.
Independent councillor Xander McDade, who was so angry about how the meeting of the Perth and Kinross Integrated Joint Board was conducted that he walked out, said he had lost faith in a “flawed” system.
Along with SNP councillor Eric Drysdale and Conservative councillor Crawford Reid he had argued that closing the Perth home would be a mistake with a rapidly expanding local elderly population.
At the close of the debate board chair Linda Dunion moved closure of Beechgrove while Mr Drysdale and Mr McDade attempted to move amendments calling for the home to be reprieved. However these were ruled incompetent as they didn’t outline how the savings which closure would mean — £528,000 per year — could be achieved elsewhere.
Mrs Dunion asked the meeting who supported retaining Beechgrove and when only the three councillors raised their hands said the motion was carried without an actual vote.
Councillors McDade and Drysdale then walked out and played no further part in the meeting held in the council chambers.
“The fact three amendments were ruled incompetent despite the fact I phrased my two in the same way we regularly phrase amendments in the council is quite incredible,” said Mr McDade.
“Given that all we wanted was a vote to approve an alternative option which was included within the paper suggests, as I said in the meeting, that the decision was already a fait accompli.
“Which begs the question what is the point in having voting members of the IJB if we don’t get to exercise our judgement and vote accordingly?
“I think that we really need to consider radically overhauling what is clearly a very undemocratic and unaccountable structure. “
SNP group leader, Councillor Dave Doogan, described the meeting as an “abject farce”.
“This outrageous performance rides a coach and horse through established procedures and must not be allowed to stand,” he said.
Mrs Dunion said she appreciated that the closure of a care home was an “emotive” issue and was not a decision which had been made lightly.
“Those voting members who felt they could not support the motion to close Beechgrove House had their dissent noted, however, it is worth noting that the majority of voting members chose to support the motion,” she said.
