Ayrshire care home faces axe

Jan 23 2009

A CARE home could be closed down – because it doesn’t have enough ensuite bedrooms.

Hard-up South Ayrshire Council claim they don’t have the cash to bring Templeton House into the 21st century.

So they’re calling time on the Ayr nursing home, rather than invest to keep it open.

Residents will now be shunted to private homes as Templeton House shuts its doors for the final time.

The decision was expected to be rubber stamped at a meeting of the council’s leadership panel on Wednesday.

And the council have sparked anger by claiming it will cost £100,000 per year in security costs to keep the empty building secure.

One furious relative, whose mother uses the home for respite care, insists more should be done to save the vital service.

She said: “We really need the respite care for our mother and she has come to know the staff at Templeton House on first name terms.

“The council should be doing everything they can to maintain a place like this for the people who need it, but they’d rather say they can’t afford it.

“If the home doesn’t meet care commission standards, surely they could at least try and find a solution to keep it open.”

The home provides care for 22 residents – five permanent and 17 on respite treatment. And there are 35 staff employed at the building, which has been run by the council since the 70s.

Labour MP Sandra Osborne agrees that the closure proposal smells fishy.

She said: “It was only in 2006 that the council agreed to replace Templeton House and South Lodge with a new facility. We were told then that this was the most cost effective way forward.

“When did they change their mind about a new facility?

“Have the Care Commission told the council this action has to be taken now or is it just a cost saving exercise?”

But council executive director Harry Garland has defended his recommendation for closure.

He claimed: “This establishment has to operate to the standards established by the Care Commission.

“Currently it does not meet these standards and the significant investment required to adapt the building to meet the standards is not available and is unlikely to be in the foreseeable future.

“It is regrettable that such a recommendation is being made, but the council is committed to maintaining and developing services to meet all required standards and is working hard with its partners to ensure this objective is achieved.”