1 week Ago By [email protected] (Gregor White)
A call for an emergency summit on social care in the Highlands has been backed by one of the region’s biggest independent care providers. Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Care Homes, is supporting the efforts of Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire Lib Dem MP Angus MacDonald who has commissioned Mr MacDonald wants to see four new care homes built in Highland west coast communities, which he believes will provide knock-on benefits in terms of overall capacity for the sector on this side of the Great Glen too. He also wants an emergency summit to examine the situation on a broader scale.
The cost of delayed discharge - where people cannot be released from hospital because of a lack of care at home or care home provision - stands at £154 million for the Highlands over the past 10 years. Mr MacDonald said: “We need to see a big investment that establishes new care facilities and tackles vacancies. “My proposals would deliver for the people of the Highlands, helping them get access to the best care close to home and easing the mammoth pressures facing our health service.
” Parklands Care Homes operates a dozen care home across the Highlands and Moray and is currently Embedded next to Milton of Leys nursery to provide intergenerational friendships the new development will also include 24 two-bedroom apartments for staff in a bid to tackle problems with employee accommodation also said to be impacting on the sector’s capabilities. Mr Taylor said of Angus Macdonald’s study: “This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the scale of the social care crisis in the Highlands and its impact on families and communities across the region. “It raises important questions about funding, workforce challenges, and the availability of care home places, particularly in rural areas.
“At Parklands, we are doing our part to expand capacity. “Over the next year, we will add 80 new beds in Inverness, Tain, and Grantown, helping to meet growing demand. But ensuring long-term sustainability requires a much more concerted effort across the sector.
” Parklands also reported earlier this year that an increase in employers’ national insurance contributions imposed as part of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ first budget last October and taking effect this month Mr Taylor added: “We appreciate the work that Angus MacDonald MP has done to shine a light on this vitally important issue and hope this report sparks the serious and solutions-focused discussion that is so badly needed. “We support his call for an emergency summit bringing together ministers, MSPs, MPs, and representatives from both the public and private sectors. “The current system is broken.
“It’s time for some fresh thinking about how we support older people in our communities.”.
