In-House Care Service Triggers Row

Councillors in Fife are to keep an in-house care service for vulnerable adults - despite opposition claims it's more expensive than several alternatives.

Fife Council's Labour administration's under fire for retaining an in-house care service for vulnerable adults, when it was the most expensive option.

Conservative politicians say their Labour colleagues are putting dogma before commons sense.

They say there were several options - all of which matched the in-house service.

Conservative Group Leader Cllr Dave Dempsey said:

"The committee considered options for providing Accommodation with Care and Housing Support for adults with health or other needs to allow them to stay at home or in small groups. As with Care Homes for the elderly, the Council provides this service directly for a minority of users and buys in provision from other providers for the remaining majority. As with Care Homes, quality is assured by the Care Inspectorate. As with Care Homes, the direct Council provision is more expensive. As with Care Homes and ignoring the recommendations of its own report, the Labour Administration put dogma before common sense and rejected the option of switching all its provision to the best value sources.
 
"We hear the same illogical arguments. We're told of the need to maintain a 'mixed economy', which ignores the mixture and variety of other providers. The non-Council sector is not a single, financially-driven organisation. It consists of a whole variety of providers, many of them not-for-profit operators. The Council, as the big purchaser, would continue to hold all the aces.
 
"If these were untested waters then we too would be cautious but the Council knows that the cheaper external service ticks all the boxes because it already buys in most of its provision. If it wasn't good enough then we'd hear about it.
 
"If there was money to burn then none of this would matter but there's not. In choosing deliberately to waste precious funds, the Administration are depriving someone else of a service they need. We can only guess at the real reasons for doing that but, whatever they are, it's unfair on that someone else. Unnecessarily unfair."

Cllr Gavin Yates Executive Spokes Person for Community Health and Wellbeing said: 

"I welcome this decision because it is right for service users and for the council. Our Accommodation with Care and Housing Support service is of the very highest standard with excellent grades from the Care Inspectorate across the board.

"Although external providers also provide a very good service it is right that the Council should continue to be the provider of last resort. Should problems arise we need to be in a position to step in and provide the necessary care, safety and security for service users.

He added: 

"I would like to highlight the good work of the wonderfully dedicated staff who continued to provide a fantastic service despite the uncertainty of the last few years.

"While the decision has been made to keep the in-house service we still have to make savings. Staff have already been very proactive in looking for ways to cut costs and we will continue to work with service users and staff to look for further savings."

Roseanne Fearon Head of Adult Services said: 

"The number of people affected by disability and mental health conditions who need care and support has increased significantly over recent years. At the same time the level of support needed by people with the most complex needs has also risen. Many people will need lifelong care and as their needs change services must be flexible, adaptable and of a high quality."