MP Jamie Stone wants answers on why 'things are going so wrong' with respite care in Caithness
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FAR north MP Jamie Stone is to try and "find out why things are going so wrong" with respite care in Caithness.
He intends to write to Highland Council in a bid to get answers about the lack of facilities for families with children who have special needs.
Mr Stone made the pledge at a meeting with members of a new campaign group called Encompass Caithness which has been set up to fight for improved services for people with disabilities of all kinds. Also at the meeting were local Highland councillors Matthew Reiss and Ron Gunn as well as health campaigner Iain Gregory. Dan Mackay, the former manager of Thor House in Thurso, was there as well.
Respite care was provided at Thor House up until the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. A review was then to be undertaken, but when Avonlea children’s home in Wick was shut youngsters were transferred to Thor House and Highland Council said there was no need for a respite unit at the Thurso premises.
Mr Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: "It is clear that this is an incredibly worrying issue. I am most grateful for the good people who raised it with me at my recent Thurso clinic, the result of which is that I shall be writing to the Highland Council in order to find out why things are going so wrong.
"At the end of the day, the buck stops with the Scottish Government, who are responsible for the proper funding of NHS Scotland and indeed who could and should legislate to make respite care a statutory service."
Elizabeth Jones, secretary of Encompass Caithness, said: "I was encouraged by what happened at the meeting. It is a step in the right direction. There is a huge gap in social care here and in the Highlands. We met with Jamie Stone for about 45 minutes. He heard our tales of woe and listened intently to everything we had to say.
"We want to get the services we had here reinstated. What we want is just basic services, nothing fancy and nothing extra. There were 60 service users at Thor House when Dan Mackay was manager and it worked perfectly fine. Now we are told we can't have a four-bedded unit there," said Ms Jones who stressed the new group will fight to get respite care restored in Caithness.
"We hope we will be taken seriously. To ignore us would be disconcerting and disgusting because we are fighting for vulnerable members of society."
It emerged at the meeting that a wall is being built at Thor House to separate the children living there from the adult service users. "That is absolutely horrendous and no reason was given for why that is being done," added Ms Jones.
Iain Gregory described the meeting as "very successful" and was "very impressed" with presentations made by Elizabeth Jones and Sarah Jane Scollay (Encompass chairwoman) and Dan Mackay. Councillors Matthew Reiss and Ron Gunn also made "valuable contributions".
Mr Gregory said: "Respite care is an absolutely vital facility but is not available here and that must be addressed and addressed swiftly. Jamie Stone clearly understands the situation and is to write to Highland Council and report back. I remain hopeful respite care can be reinstated and feel the momentum is building strongly.
"This is a major, major issue for people in this community and one which needs to be corrected and put right. I can't think of many facilities more important than this."
Mr Gregory said it is "very strange" a wall is being built at Thor House to separate the users of the premises. "Why are they building a wall and what's the reason for it," he asked.
