Keeping up the pressure on the EIJB

Drumbrae has been closed. The decision about closure of the other four publicly run residential care homes has been postponed until after the local authority elections in 2022. Had there been no campaign the homes could be already gone. At the last ‘Another Edinburgh is Possible Meeting’ we agreed to keep up the pressure on the EIJB. On 7th December, we organised a solidarity rally outside Ferrylee, one of the threatened homes, to coincide with the December meeting of the board.

In the photos you can see Brian Robertson from Unite making a deputation to the online board meeting.

Brian asked:

Which meeting of board saw the papers and made the decision to consider closing 5 out of the 9 publicly run care homes in Edinburgh?

Is it within the powers of the board to borrow from the Public Loans Board to finance a first class care service in Edinburgh?

The notes for the meeting mention 1000 new care support workers. Is this the number for Edinburgh? Who will they be employed by – the council – the NHS – others?

Reference is made to capacity – are we to understand that capacity in residential care is to be reduced while home care capacity is increased?

The chair declined to respond to any of the questions.

You can watch the whole of the public session of EIJB meeting on the council website