A COUNCILLOR has called for health and social care bosses to take inspiration from the Dutch in looking after the region’s elderly.
Councillor Willie Scobie is keen to see ‘care villages’ developed in Dumfries and Galloway, which is the provision of modern community housing for senior citizens first introduced in the Netherlands.
This approach moves away from standard care homes and shifts towards a neighbourhood approach with a community feel and more services.
Around 18 months ago, Fife Health and Social Care Partnership opened the region’s first intergenerational care village in Methil.
The village includes a 36-bed care home, integrated nursery, extra care housing properties for older people and four specific needs bungalows, around a village green.
The care home also has a day care service and community cafe for the wider community.
This forward-thinking approach to elderly housing provision was raised by Stranraer and the Rhins Councillor Willie Scobie at the council’s tackling poverty, inequalities and housing sub-committee last week. He explained that he and NHS official Graham Foster were in discussions with a private sector provider several years ago about a potential care village in Dumfries and Galloway.
Mr Scobie said: “It was a new concept, a new initiative, and was something that came out of Holland.
“I understand the University of West of Scotland actually took a sabbatical to go over and look at this.
“I just wonder how far we are actually developing this concept, so that we can look at it as a potential to start to tackle some of the issues that we’ve got in social care.”
Jamie Little, the council’s strategic housing and regeneration team leader, confirmed that this type of development is being considered as part of the local authority’s overall housing strategy.
He said: “The care village model is something that is one of the many options that we are currently looking at.
“It has something that has potential to cover a lot of the issues that we’re experiencing in the housing sector. We know that the delivery of aids and adaptations budget is becoming incredibly challenging.
“We also know that our population is ageing, and they’re doing so less healthily unfortunately.
“So, we are working very closely with the NHS and the adult health and social care partnership to make sure that the right housing developments can be brought forward.
“And similar models to the care village principle have been adopted in Dumfries and Galloway so far. They’ve predominantly been aimed at people with learning disabilities, and delivered through the strategic housing investment plan.
“But we are widening out the scope in our engagement with the adult health and social care partnership, trying to ensure that they are really able to support and enable the development of these housing projects.”
Councillor Scobie replied: “As I understand it, Fife now have four care villages. We’re really missing an opportunity.
“While the discussions are welcomed and helpful, how do we move it forward to get to the same point where Fife is at?”
