Senior officials have insisted “no specific care home has been identified” amid Renfrewshire health and social care partnership (HSCP) plans to close one of its three facilities.
A suggestion to reduce the care home estate to two homes was considered by the integration joint board (IJB) – the body responsible for oversight of the HSCP last week.
The cost-cutting measure, which would save around £329,000, will now be assessed and discussed with stakeholders, before final proposals are brought before the IJB for consideration in March.
However, it is not yet known which of Montrose care home, Hunterhill care home or Renfrew care home would be affected.
Frances Burns, head of strategic planning and health improvement, told the IJB: “There are a number of proposals, where we are actually seeking the IJB’s approval, not to proceed immediately with these, but rather to carry out a full options appraisal and impact assessment. That would include stakeholder engagement.
“The options that we’re asking for this approval for relates to firstly the reduction in our HSCP internal care home estate from three to two. This is in light of changing demand and need that we’re seeing.
“At this stage, no specific care home has been identified.”
Other measures, including merging Mirin and Milldale day services and closing the Flexicare service, were presented at the IJB.
The steps have been put forward to close a small part of a £14.7 million budget gap for 2024/25, with around £8.2m to be covered by reserves.
Labour councillor Iain McMillan said on Friday: “The choices we’re having to make here are unpalatable as far as I’m concerned.
“We’ve been really pushed into a corner here with a gun against our head and it’s really, really difficult for us.
“Using reserves absolutely breaks my heart. I liken it to going into your own bank account, taking your money out and just flinging it away. That’s what it feels like.
“We have got reserves there, a reasonable amount of money, and they could be used for so many better things than just to close a budget gap.”
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