As the need for care in the community grows it is vital that the services are of the highest quality. That was the message from Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Alex Rowley when he visited a number of care homes in his Mid Scotland and Fife constituency to mark national ‘Care Home Open Day’.
Mr Rowley who visited Canmore Lodge in Dunfermline and Orchard Care in Tullibody said; “The demand for care will continue to grow as the numbers of elderly people increases and none of us know if it will be us or our nearest and dearest who will need that care. That is why I regard community and residential care as the NHS in the community and on this frontline of care we should expect the very best.
The MSP described the homes he visited as both ‘impressive and vibrant’ and said; “When it comes to care homes there is no doubt that the physical surroundings are very important, but it was clear to me that what makes a really good home is really good staff with a strong culture of caring at every level of staffing. I joined with residents, staff and families in an afternoon of entertainment and fun and what was really evident to me from talking to all these people was that in these homes there is always activity and quality care.
The Labour politician has been campaigning for a living wage for all care workers and said he was confident this would be introduced in October through a partnership of employers, councils and government. He concluded; “If every home is to have the best staff, then that requires quality training, on going support and an acceptable pay. The introduction of the living wage across the care sector will go some way to achieving parity of recognition of the importance of care work but we then need to build on the best practice of our best homes to secure parity of provision”.
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Photo shows Alex Rowley with staff at Canmore Lodge Dunfermline which had hosted a ‘Steamie’ themed event
