[Edinburgh-carecampaign] SWAN Press Release - Care Tender Collapses

[Danny]

Edinburgh
Support Workers’ Action Network   -     Press Release                  1st Feb 2010 

   

   

CONTROVERSIAL
CARE AND SUPPORT TENDER COLLAPSES 

   

Campaign groups
call for resignations over ‘shambolic’ process and vow to continue fight for fair
funding for people with disabilities  

   

The
tender process for care and support services which has drawn heavy criticism
from campaign groups, service users and their families and carers was finally
dropped today.  

The
process, which would have seen the transfer of vital services for 800 people
with physical disabilities, mental health conditions and learning disabilities transferred
to new, cheaper providers, was suspended in December pending an independent
evaluation.  

Council
Chief Executive Tom Aitchison today concluded that the findings of the report
left the Council with no other choice but to drop the whole tender process.  

The
report, which is being kept confidential, found that that the process was not
sufficiently “meticulous” as well as casting doubts over the “quality assurance
process”.  

   

The
collapse of the tender has led to campaign groups and opposition councillors
calling for resignation of Paul Edie, the City’s health and social care
convener, who has faced complaints for his behaviour towards service-users and
campaigners during the process.  

   

Danny
Oliver, a member of Edinburgh Support Workers’ Action Network (SWAN) said  

 “We have been saying this process was flawed
all along. This has now been verified by an independent evaluation but were it
not for the tireless campaigning of service-users and care workers the tender
would have been pushed through months ago. Paul Edie described the process as “robust”
as recently as December. Now the Council
has spent £80k of taxpayers’ money on this independent report. £80k could
provide a 10 hour support package for 10 vulnerable people for a whole year and
yet it has been wasted on discovering that Paul Edie’s process was not as ‘robust’
as he has been telling us”.    * 

   

Unelected
Council officials, who earn over £100k, have also come in for criticism for
overseeing the process and making recommendations which are now seen as discredited.
Jessica Mackin, also a member of SWAN told us  

“This
entire shambles has caused huge amounts of stress for the people we care for
which we’ve had to support them with despite facing uncertainty over the future
of our own jobs. We think that it’s time for Paul Edie to seriously consider his
position as health and social care convener and the unelected, overpaid
Directors behind this process; Mark Turley, Peter Gabbitas and Donald McGougan should
also be brought to account for their actions”. 

   

Whilst
they are celebrating this victory campaign groups say their fight is not yet
over. The Council still intends to use Direct Payment rates based on the flawed
tender process to reduce funding to services. With continued protests and legal
challenges promised this is proving to be an issue that will not go away for
the City of Edinburgh Council.. 

   

   

* Based on proposed new Direct Payment rate of £15.04 per
hour

  
www.swanedinburgh.org.uk


Edinburgh
Support Workers' Action Network (SWAN) is a network of care and support
workers set up to fight the budget cuts and competitive tendering being
imposed by Edinburgh Council which threaten our jobs and our
service-users' quality of care.




      


      
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