Date: Tue 13 November 2012

Response from Glasgow UNISON on council proposals to cut day care services

Statement by Sam MacCartney, Glasgow UNISON, in response to announcement of Glasgow City Council consultation on proposals to cut day care services across Glasgow for those with Learning Disabilities

"The proposals will see current day care services removed for 320 service users. Currently there are 520 users who attend day care services across the City, this will reduce to 200. In addition three centres will close leaving just four to service the whole of Glasgow. There will be no council centre available in the North West of the city .

"This must not be seen as a done deal and UNISON will be vociferously defending these council services.

"UNISON is appalled at these proposals which will see services return to what they were like pre-1970. This is not progress.

"The report considered by the Council contained a number of inaccuracies and misleading facts about the service currently provided. Our members are deeply concerned about the impact these changes will have on some of the most vulnerable people on our communities and are stunned at the scale of loss.

"UNISON and other key stakeholders will of course make our concerns known but who will advocate for the service users in this process? Where will their voices and that of their families be heard?

"The roll out of Personalisation, whereby services users are allocated a personal budget has always been predetermined by cuts and this is now the real face of this agenda – the most vulnerable left to spend their day in a shopping centre at best, and at worst left at home isolated from friends and support within the day centre. Support  that they had known in some cases for all their adult lives."

See also article in Evening Times, Thursday 13 November 2012:

Day centres threatened with closure
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/day-centres-threatened-with-closure-107023n.19404655     

For further information please contact:
Sam MacCartney, Glasgow UNISON convener for day care services within Social Work, 07803 952264
Malcolm Burns, Communications Officer, UNISON Scotland, 0141 342 2877 or 078765 66978

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