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Care home crisis

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By Abbey Morton
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Care home crisis

NEW statistics from Public Health Scotland show Dumfries and Galloway has had the biggest reduction in care homes in Scotland in the last decade.

As pressure on the care industry grows, the number of care homes locally reduced by 12, from 46 to 34.

And with the closures, comes the reduction of 122 registered places in homes, forcing pressure onto remaining care homes, community services and the wider NHS.

Across Scotland there are 260 fewer care homes than there were a decade ago, equating to 2178 places lost.

Dumfries and Galloway also has the second biggest drop in care home places, following closely behind Midlothian which has 132 fewer places.

And the Scottish Government has been called upon to tackle the crisis, by improving standards and ensuring social care staff are paid at least £15 per hour.

MSP Colin Smyth commented that care home staff have been working ‘heroically’ but feels they are underpaid.

He said: “We have a growing workforce crisis that has pushed services to breaking point.

“Covid and Brexit no doubt exacerbated these problems – but they didn’t create them.”

He says services are ‘on the brink’ and consequences are now showing.

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