A council leader who told care workers he loved them during lockdown has been accused of staying silent on a plan that could see hundreds of them sacked. Lawrence Fitzpatrick was filmed playing a tune on his harmonica at the height of the pandemic in May 2020 as a tribute to frontline staff.
The West Lothian Council leader then announced: “Here’s to our wonderful NHS and all our care workers and all our key workers. Keep us safe, keep it up, love you all, thank you.” But his local authority is now working on plans that could see up to six care homes closed or privatised, which has left residents and workers furious.
A spokesperson for the Save Our Care Homes campaign said: “During the Covid pandemic we saw politicians go out of their way to publicly show their support for carers. The leader of West Lothian Council went even further by playing them a tune on his harmonica and expressing his love for NHS and social care staff.
“Two years on he is silent as his Labour councillor colleagues on the West Lothian Integrated Joint Board (IJB) are complicit in plans to privatise care homes and care-at-home services and the jobs that go with them.”
West Lothian’s council and the NHS have said they are reviewing the future of the council-run facilities as well as their social care teams and care-at-home services. Almost £1million a year is spent on the services, with the authorities saying they face a £17million budget black hole and must make savings.
It means 168 staff, 141 older people and 16 young adults living and working in the homes may have to relocate if the plans go ahead.
Last week we told how a 102-year-old war veteran risks losing her home. Great-gran-of-eight Barbara Reid, who has dementia, is one of hundreds of residents who could end up having to move if officials agree to sell or close homes.
She has been living at Limecroft for 12 years. Her daughter Marion McKnight, 74, has demanded the “inhumane” closure plans be scrapped. Other homes for the elderly under review are Craigmar, Whitdale and Burngrange, while Burnside and Deans House, which care for young adults with disabilities, are also threatened.
According to the IJB’s own risk assessment documents, young adults in Burnside and Deans House would have to move into another local authority as there is nowhere else for them in West Lothian.
A West Lothian IJB spokesman said: “The IJB is facing a significant budget gap (£17.3million over the next three years) as the increase in funding available is not enough to cover rising demand for services from a growing older population.” He said the IJB would “maintain levels of care home service for older people”.
Councillor Fitzpatrick said: “For the past 15 years I have continually spoken out against the cuts to local services. The funding crisis facing public services is a stark reminder of the lack of funding from the Scottish Government.”
A council spokesperson said: “The decision to carry out a review of care services has been taken by the West Lothian IJB, not West Lothian Council.
“Councillor Fitzpatrick is not a member of the IJB board and does not have any say in the decisions of the IJB. The IJB is a separate and distinct legal entity.”
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