Care in the Community

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Council to Build 5 New Care Homes

One of the first actions of the new Council was to end the commissioning of five new care homes from the independent sector and instead agree to build and run the new care homes ourselves.

We will build five care homes between 2008-9 and 2012-13 in Inverness, Grantown, Fort William, Muir of Ord and Tain, replacing existing care homes.  The estimated capital cost of the five care homes is £21.5 million.

We will be liaising with NHS Highland to identify how best to provide nursing care in Council-run Care Homes to meet the needs of increasingly frail older people and consulting with residents, their families,  staff and stakeholders on the detail of the proposed homes. This is part of a wider set of proposals to increase investment in care for the elderly so they can stay longer in their own homes,  which will include an extra 600 new houses suitable for older people in the Highlands and a phased  increase in the Council’s home care budget by 50% over the next four years.

Creating a Healthier Highland

We are committed to setting achievable strategies for all aspects of community care which will contribute to the Scottish Government’s objective for a healthier Scotland. We provide a range of services to care for older people, people with disabilities and people with poor mental health.

We are working with NHS Highland, Housing Associations and voluntary organisations to shift the balance of care so that more people with care needs can be cared for in the community in their own home.  This means:

• Making sure people’s homes are fit for purpose by investing £18.8m to 2011 in aids and adaptations.
• Increasing home care with an additional £10m to 2011.
• Supporting carers further.
• Reducing the number of emergency admissions to hospital.
• Reducing the time patients wait to be discharged into a more appropriate setting for their care.

Where people’s frailty means they require care in a residential setting (either home care or nursing care) then we will ensure that this is provided to the right standard.  We currently run 19 residential homes providing around 250 places.  We also purchase care from the independent sector with more than 1,400 places purchased in 2006-7.

Focus on Health Improvement

By 2011, we will give a high priority to health improvement, focusing on combating drug and alcohol abuse, smoking reduction, improving healthy eating and increasing opportunities for people to take exercise.