Change to care provision in Dunipace sheltered housing complex will save £150k

Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has confirmed that it will no longer be providing staffing at the Tygetshaugh Court complex in Dunipace.

Instead the service will be “reprovisioned” to an external provider.

Other housing complexes could also go down the same route in the future as the HSCP tries to close a £20 million funding gap by making savings.

The complex, part of Falkirk Council’s “shared care housing”, provides homes for residents in nine bedsits, ten 10 one-bedroom flats, two two-bedroom flats and 15 one-bedroom cottages.

It also has a residents’ lounge, laundry and a guest bedroom for visitors.

Care is currently provided by 11 local authority employed staff and there is one vacancy.

However, in March a meeting of the Integrated Joint Board (IJB) which involves Falkirk Council, NHS Forth Valley, the third sector and staff representatives, heard that currently the tenants receive almost 1000 hours of care annually and by using an external provider at a cost of £25 per hour the bill would be around £250,000.

Currently it costs around £385,000 to provide care in the complex and this is £20,000 over budget mainly due to overtime staffing and agency costs.

A report to Friday’s IJB meeting says the move will save £150,000 annually.

The report to the IJB noted that there are currently three other housing with care sites which could be affected – understood to be Glenfuir Court, Camelon; Glenbrae Court, Falkirk; and Dorrator Court, Camelon.

If these were included in the change of staffing provision the report states around £540,000 could be saved annually.

It is understood that HSCP officials were meeting with staff and union officials on Wednesday, while some elderly residents at Tygetshaugh planned to sit outside the offices to make their feelings known.

One person said: “I’m appalled at this proposal. I feel so sorry for all the staff and residents involved.

"They’ve been providing care at this complex for so many years and you never hear about any problems – then they decide to do this.”

During the budget consultation process, two-thirds of respondents said the proposed changes to housing with care would have an impact on them.

A spokesperson for Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership said: “Changes to the way housing with care is delivered are being explored, as directed by the Partnership’s Integration Joint Board.

"The Partnership has now completed an options appraisal recommending the service at Tygetshaugh is reprovisioned to an external provider.

“Residents at Tygetshaugh will continue to receive their usual level of care following this change, which will see a different provider, or multiple providers, deliver care at the property.

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

"We are working with our housing with care staff and trade union colleagues to consider the options available in line with Falkirk Council’s redeployment and employment policies.”

Those living at Tygetshaugh have all been assessed as having low to medium level care needs.