Crunch time for care homes as final talks to close two in South Lanarkshire kick off
The future of two care homes in South Lanarkshire is set to be decided this afternoon.
The proposed closures of McClymont House in Clydesdale and Dewar House in Hamilton are in attempt to plug a budget shortfall of over £19 million for adult and elderly social care in South Lanarkshire.
There are 21 long-term residents across Dewar House and McClymont House, many of whom have dementia and around-the-clock care needs, who now face being moved out of the homes.
The final decision will be made by South Lanarkshire’s Integration Joint Board (IJB) which is made up of councillors and NHS officials.
Sandra Shaw launched a petition back in December to call on the board to keep Dewar House open for “all the current residents and anyone who many need its services in the future”.
The petition has been backed by 1,200 people.
Ms Shaw said the thought of losing Dewar House care home, where her mother Margaret lives, is “heart wrenching”.
She said: “Dewar House provides essential care for those living with dementia and residents are very much a part of the community.
“Its closure would not only displace its residents but also put an additional strain on other local care homes which are already operating at full capacity.”
Care home staff, residents and their families were given the chance to voice their concerns regarding the care homes’ potential closures during a lengthy consultation process.
A family member said the residents “are not budget-saving tools – they are valuable human beings” while another highlighted the “injustice” of vulnerable care home residents being re-homed due to budget issues that “weren’t their responsibility”.
The biggest concern for family members is the health impacts this would have on the care home residents. Many of them worry that re-homing their elderly family members would lead to “confusion, distress and anxiety”.
One said: “The thought of having to endure this move is already affecting her mental health.”
Another family member, whose father lives in McClymont House, said he was struggling to eat and get upstairs on his own before being moved to the care home but “since he has been there, life has been much better for him”.
The consultation also heard from four elderly people living in the care homes, one of whom said they were “settled there” and “not happy about the closure”.
Another said: “This is the place for me.”
Angela Crawley, MP for Lanark and Hamilton East, is joining the fight to save the care homes and urging the IJB not to shut them down.
She said: “Closing the care homes would mean that Hamilton and Clydesdale would be left without residential council care homes and this would have a long term impact for families in the area.
“These are valued services which should be retained.”
The IJB has a legal obligation to set a balanced budget for 2024/25.
A spokesperson for South Lanarkshire IJB said: “Members of the IJB will consider all options presented to them in order to balance the budget for the coming year, including the absolute necessity to address a recurring budget shortfall of over £19 million for adult and older people’s social care in South Lanarkshire.”
