Families fight 'soul-destroying' council plan to cut care at sheltered housing complex

Residents and relatives say they weren't consulted over decision to outsource care at 'wonderful' community complex.

Families of residents at a sheltered housing complex in Falkirk have expressed dismay at plans to outsource care services to an external provider.

The proposals to cut round-the-clock care at Tygetshaugh Court are designed to help plug a budget gap of £21m.

But campaigners argue the move will break long-standing agreements with tenants and dramatically reduce the level of support available at the complex.

Some families are now preparing legal action against the council.

Elderly residents say they have been left with many “unanswered questions” and fear for their safety and wellbeing.

‘Nobody has come to speak to us’

Robert and Anna Kilpatrick live at Tygetshaugh. Robert has Parkinson’s disease, COPD and dementia and needs oxygen to help him breathe.

Carers currently visit four times a day to help him manage his condition and day-to-day life. But his wife Anna fears that will soon change.

Tygetshaugh CourtSTV News
Tygetshaugh Court

She told STV News: “They want to cut it right down. In practice, they’ll come in, hand you tablets, then go out.

“The carers we have now will sit and chat while they’re here, make sure Robert’s okay, then give him his medication. I don’t think external carers are going to work like that.

“If he falls, I can’t pick him up. Right now I press the buzzer and the girls are here in a minute. With an outside service, once the tablets are done, you will have to wait until the next visit. He could be lying there and I don’t think that’s right.”

Anna also said there had been a lack of communication about the new proposals.

“When it broke on social media, that’s the first we knew,” she said. Nobody’s come to speak to us about why this is happening.

“They picked the best place in Denny to make these cuts – why not Falkirk? This place was built for housing with care, not home care.”

Tygetshaugh Court, a Falkirk Council Housing with Care complex, was built in 1985. It provides independent living for older people with access to in-house support and care services.

The facility has individual flats and cottages, with shared communal spaces and a 24/7 telecare support system.

But the council’s integration joint board says the move to external providers will help save £150,000 a year, which could help plug its budget gap of £21m over three years.

‘This place is fantastic – it’s soul-destroying’

Victoria Kirkwood's mum lives in the complexSTV News
Victoria Kirkwood’s mum lives in the complex

Victoria Kirkwood’s mother also lives at the complex. She has multiple health conditions, including Wernicke’s – a neurological condition – COPD, and emphysema.

She worries that her mum’s progress will be lost under the changes.

“Right now she gets four visits a day,” said Victoria. “If she’s having a bad day, two carers will come in, but that might not happen with agency staff. She has a speech impediment, and the carers here have learned to understand her, that bond won’t be there anymore.

“They have built up her confidence, she goes to all the social events now. If we get different carers every time, she’ll withdraw again.

“Nobody who made this decision has ever been here. We’ve phoned, emailed, even protested, and been ignored.

“The community they’ve got here is absolutely fantastic. We’ve always known this place for the past 40 years. It’s soul-destroying for the residents.

“If we can get them to come here and see it, they would change their minds. They wouldn’t want this.”

‘Tygetshaugh means so much to our community’

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Falkirk councillor Brian McCabe, whose mum lived in the complex for five years before she passed, has called for officials to reconsider their decision.

“It’s personal for me,” he said. “My mum had such a wonderful life here with the carers. They would come in, give her medication, make her a cup of tea, they would ask how she was. The care she got was second to none.

“If we move more towards a ‘care at home’ system, it’s just not the same. This place is a wonderful asset and the people here love it.

“We already have a serious problem with bed blocking in Forth Valley Hospital. Complexes like this should be maximised, not stripped back.

“Tygetshaugh means a lot to the people here and to the wider community.”

Families campaign to save 'housing with care' model at the complexSTV News
Families campaign to save ‘housing with care’ model at the complex

Councillor McCabe has asked the IJB to speak to residents and their families.

“Most of the people here are elderly, many with dementia,” he said. “Expecting them to respond to an online survey is problematic.

“Let’s have another look and involve the most important here; the elderly. Let’s speak to them and see how happy they are.”

A spokesperson for Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership said: “As directed by the Partnership’s Integration Joint Board, changes are being made to the way care services are delivered at the Tygetshaugh Court Housing with Care property.

“Care will be delivered by alternative providers, but residents will continue to receive the support required based upon their assessed needs.

“The introduction of new care providers will be implemented on a phased basis, allowing time for discussions about individual circumstances and ensuring residents can choose the option which best suits them.

“The property will remain owned and operated by Falkirk Council, and 24/7 monitoring and emergency response will continue to be provided by our Mobile Emergency Care Service.” 

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