The branch has issued a briefing condemning proposed cuts to Aberdeenshire’s Integrated Joint Board’s budget.
Aberdeenshire UNISON will oppose these cuts and will fight to save jobs and services, and has called on all members “to work with us, to fight with us”. UNISON will be attending meetings and arranging to visit workplaces and groups of workers.
Branch secretary, Inez Kirk told members, “You are the power of the union and together we can work to save our jobs and services. Speak to your colleagues, attend meetings, organise your own meetings, respond to consultations. It is only by us all working together can we hope to turn back these awful proposals.”
Tens of millions is proposed to be saved from the social care budget over the coming years.
Proposals to reduce the budget have come when the demand for social care is only increasing and the needs of support are greater.
Eligibility criteria is to be tightened which will mean that only those with severe or substantial needs get a service just stores up issues for the future. When people do eventually get services their needs will be greater and need more support or crises will happen that could have been avoided. All of these scenarios will cost more to support.
Instead of preventative work to keep people able and well we will be dealing with the after effects of letting situations get worse again costing more in the long run.
These plans also include handing home care over to the third or private sector and slashing over a third of the care homes and very sheltered housing budget, will hit the most vulnerable in our community, and have come at a time when the demand for social care is only increasing and the support needs of those who depend on it are growing.
Inez said. “This may reduce the budget initially, but it will move care to the cheapest provider and wages and terms and conditions will be cut, which will not help recruitment which is already in crisis.
She added that there are already a shortage of care homes in Aberdeenshire, with private providers closing homes and no new ones being built. “If the council reduces care home places then that will leave very vulnerable people with no place to go and will add to delayed discharges from hospitals.”
Inez warned, “These proposals are short sighted and only look to deal with the perceived short term problem, whilst creating an even bigger problem down the line. They are bad for those needing a service, bad for staff, bad for local communities and make no financial sense.”
She urged the council to work with staff, who know the role, and with the people that use the services, to create and maintain a truly sustainable budget in social care.