HEALTH and social care bosses in North Ayrshire have hit back at strong criticism from a national body over plans to take care at home services 'in-house'.

Scottish Care - who represent private and charitable firms who provide care at home - blasted the decision to end the contracts of three companies who currently look after the sick and elderly.

The North Ayrshire health and social care partnership (HSCP) plans to bring the services in-house at the end of June.

Scottish Care previously said: “Scottish Care is concerned that actions of the NAHSCP endangers the care and support of those who are at the moment receiving services in the North Ayrshire area and which in the future will limit the legal rights and choices of residents in the area.”

They also claimed bringing services in-house would cost more than double the amount spent on outsourced care and support.

An HSCP spokesperson said in response: “We are disappointed that no contact was made from Scottish Care with the HSCP to establish an accurate representation of the facts and have contacted the organisation directly in this regard, and to highlight the potential impact of inaccurate communication by an external organisation.

“The decision not to renew these contracts was not taken lightly and was reached as a result of a significant review process.

“This took into consideration a number of factors, including the needs of the community across North Ayrshire, feedback from stakeholders, and – most importantly – the sustainability and quality of care and support for service users.

“Formal inspections undertaken by regulatory body, the Care Inspectorate, have consistently demonstrated a higher quality of care delivered via the Partnership’s in-house Care at Home service in recent years when compared to external Care at Home providers in North Ayrshire."

Three private providers - TLC Scotland, First Homecare, and Delight Supported Living - will have their contracts ended on June 30.

The HSCP's spokesperson continued: “The review process demonstrated that the in-house Care at Home service offered increased continuity and stability of care provision, with less risk of changes impacting people’s care and support – which has been a continuous issue in North Ayrshire over the last few years due to care providers exiting the market or notifying the partnership of their inability to provide agreed care packages.

“Around 85 per cent of our current Care at Home service users receive support from the in-house team, and we are in the process of visiting the relatively small number of our service users who will be impacted by this decision.

"Our staff have a wealth of experience in supporting people with their care arrangements and will be able to provide reassurance and explain in detail what this change could mean for them.

“This will include promoting the various Self-Directed Support options available to them and providing guidance and support should they wish to choose to remain with an independent provider."

Read more: https://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/24153113.care-home-providers-hit-back-council-contracts-end/

The NAHSCP went on: "As stated previously, there may be instances where the option is not there to continue with their current provider, as this will depend on the provider choosing to remain operational in North Ayrshire once the contracts come to an end. Where this is the case, we will provide support to explore options with other independent providers.

“We will also explain the independent advocacy support available in North Ayrshire, should service users wish to access impartial advice.

“The Partnership is fully committed to its duties under the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 and will continue to promote these options to service users across all of our relevant services.

“We fully appreciate Scottish Care’s concern for staff employed by their member organisations.

"The partnership understands the impact this will have on the care providers, and as such have supported ongoing discussions with the affected providers over several months. Representatives from our commissioning team continue to engage with providers on an individual basis about business continuity and possible options moving forward.

“A series of events have been arranged, between now and June 2024, for representatives from the partnership to meet with staff from the three care providers.

"These events will provide an opportunity for staff to receive advice and guidance to ensure they are informed of their rights, information in relation to benefits and future employment opportunities, timelines for transition and next steps.

“This decision will see a significant financial investment by NAHSCP to ensure improved quality and consistency of care for our residents and therefore will not result in fewer people in North Ayrshire receiving the care and support they require, as suggested in Scottish Care’s statement.

“As ever, the safety and wellbeing of service users is our utmost priority, and while we will continue to promote choice through Self-Directed Support options, we fully stand by our robust decision to bring Care at Home services in-house for our Option 3 SDS clients.”