Dave Thompson MSP

This week a letter from a prominent Highland MSP will drop on more than 8,000 doorsteps across Lochaber as part of a major consultation exercise into a move by Highland Council towards the use of the private sector for provision of residential care.

Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson was prompted to launch the survey after becoming increasingly concerned about a push by the local authority to offload its responsibility to provide care for Highland residents throughout their lives.

Before the current LibDem-led administration took control at Highland Council, the previous SNP / Independent administration had laid plans to use public funds to replace five public care homes that were nearing the end of their useful lives but on taking office the LibDem administration threw out these plans and decided to privatise the service.

In the past Mr Thompson (SNP) has spoken out against wage and benefit cutting used by the private sector to reduce costs below those achievable in local authority-run homes.

Although members of Highland Council voted earlier this year to invite a private operator to take over delivery of care services for senior citizens at Duthac House in Tain, and Urray House in Muir of Ord, a decision on a similar deal for provision currently delivered at Invernevis House in Lochaber was deferred but Mr Thompson fears a similar cost-cutting deal will be made there too.

"I believe that if the public are aware that care of our most elderly residents is to change from one based on compassion and need, to one based on profit delivered by underpaid and under-motivated staff, they will share the same concerns," said the MSP, who has been selected as the SNP candidate for the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch seat at next year's Scottish Parliament election.

"But those who will take that decision will not listen to a single member of an opposing party telling them that but they are duty-bound to listen to the population of the area they are supposed to represent.

"That is why I am hoping for a strong response to my consultation to help get the message across that they cannot simply cut the care given to an often-forgotten group in our society just to help their books balance."

The first of the 8,398 consultation papers were delivered to homes across Lochaber late last week and the rest are expected to arrive over the next few days. Those who wish to help inform the debate on the issue, which also affects the future of council-run care homes in other parts of the Highlands (Grant Lodge in Grantown, and Ach an Eas in Inverness), must get their response back to Mr Thompson's regional office in Dingwall before October 25th to allow time for the final return to be collated before Highland Council meets again to discuss the issue on November 10th.

Notes:

The questionnaire is available here.

In June, after addressing protestors against plans to privatise care at Invernevis House, Mr Thompson said: "These lower wages and conditions add up to 30 per cent less costs to the private sector. But is this really where we should be going - cutting the wages and conditions of our lowest paid workers and piling the burden of savings on our dedicated care home staff?"

He added: "I believe we should be protecting these low paid council care workers and trying to get those in the private sector up to the same modest levels of wages and conditions. Workers whose weekly wage is barely enough to live on and yet, who we expect to carry out one of the most important and difficult jobs in our society, caring for our elderly at the end of their lives. Surely they deserve decent wages and conditions.

"The Lib Dems and Labour should be ashamed of themselves and I hope that later this week they will do another U-turn and reverse the Care Home privatisation plan at the meeting of the full Highland Council."