Reacting to the shock announcement this week that social care provider HC-One is having to sell off and transfer care homes during the biggest public health crisis in all our lifetimes, Highlands and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant has contacted the Cabinet Secretary for Health urging the Scottish Government to take the homes in Scotland under local authority control.
In her email to Jean Freeman this morning, Mrs Grant has written:
“I am writing to urge you to press your government to bring the care homes in Scotland which are going on the market under public ownership.
“This move would show real commitment from the Scottish Government to meet the promise it made in its Programme for Government to support Scottish Labour’s visionary plan for a National Care Service.
“The move by HC-One to sell off those care homes will be terrible news for worn out key workers and will affect them very badly, and it will be causing stress and anxiety for vulnerable service users, and their worried families. I am deeply concerned and would urge the government to step in. I would echo what the GMB Union has said: The announcement that one of our biggest social care providers is having to sell off and transfer care homes during the biggest public health crisis in all our lifetimes just shows how badly in need of repair our social care system is.
“Please bring the homes being sold under local authority control with the Scottish Government funding the transition costs.
“A properly funded national care service has never been so vital.”