Information Bulletin
04 April 2005
Integrated Management of Care Homes
The work previously carried out by Shetland Welfare Trust in the rural care centres across Shetland has been transferred to the Council on 1 April 2005 as planned.
The Project Board would like to acknowledge the hard work and co-operation of all Shetland Welfare Trust Staff and Trustees throughout the change over. An enormous amount of work has been completed in a relatively short period of time and the transfer could not have been achieved without the commitment of everyone involved. This has been greatly appreciated.
Under the new integrated management arrangements the Council, through its Social Work Service, will continue the provision of the full range of care services from the care centres. These Services include:
- Residential care, both permanent care and short breaks (respite);
- Day care services;
- Care at Home Services providing high levels of care to people in their own homes; &
- Meals on Wheels Service.
Shetland Charitable Trust will support these activities by maintaining the buildings and subsidising the service through their Equalisation of Charges policy. Service users and their families should see very little change in the way the care centres are run. All the staff in the care centres will continue to be employed in the same way as before.
The Independent Monitoring Group set up to oversee the transfer will continue to meet in the coming months. A key objective for the Monitoring Group is to ensure that the high quality of service provision in the rural care centres is maintained. They will consider information from the inspection reports prepared by the Care Commission and also look at ways of meeting service users, their family, carers and staff to hear their views.
Public Meetings
Shetland Welfare Trust used to hold public meetings in each of the care centres once a year. This practice will continue giving people in the local community an opportunity to meet the staff and managers from the Council and discuss any issues or concerns about the services provided. A list of dates for the public meetings will be available in the next week or so.
Anyone requiring any further information should contact:
Christine Ferguson, Community Care Manager, Social Work, Quendale House,
31 Commercial Street, Lerwick, ZE1 0AN (Tel) 01595 74 4329
or
Ann Nicolson, Resources Assistant, Social Work, Quendale House, 31 Commercial Street, Lerwick, ZE1 0AN (Tel) 01595 74 4309.
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