Plea to open Hawick day care service as ‘quickly as possible’

The local authority failed to properly consider the needs to its members when it closed Teviot Day Service, based in Hawick’s Katharine Elliot Centre, in 2019, a judge ruled in September.

Lady Carmichael said the council did not contemplate the impact the closure would have on members and carers and ruled the action ‘unlawful’, while ordering it to reconsider its decision.

At a meeting of Scottish Borders Council yesterday, Thursday, October 27, members were brought up to date on the progress being made to address the legal decision, with a new design and delivery of day services being drawn up.

Tweeddale East Independent Councillor Robin Tatler, the council’s executive member for communities and equalities, said: “It’s important we tackle this particular day care service in the first instance but obviously that we look at the model across the Borders.

“We made this decision back in 2018 because it was clear that the model before was not working. Usage dropped from 240 people using the service to 43 so there was obviously something we weren’t doing right and hopefully we’ll change the model to make it fit for purpose.”

Hawick and Denholm’s Councillor Clair Ramage responded: “I talked to carers who tried to put their loved ones with dementia into the day service and they couldn’t, barriers were put up, so I question the numbers that you state Councillor Tatler.

“Quite simply the day service should be reopened as quickly as possible. The legal judgement on Teviot Day Service was perfectly clear. It is open in the eyes of the law and Scottish Borders Council must take steps to make this happen as soon as possible.

“The Teviot Day Service was a very safe, secure and stimulating environment for the users and also provided much-needed respite for the exhausted carers.

“One lady told me the service was a lifeline to her. When he attended she could go back to bed as it was the only time she had uninterrupted sleep. Without it she would have had to put her husband in care.”

Councillor Elaine Thornton-Nicol, who represents Selkirkshire, concurred, adding: “Can we knock this into second gear, put the foot on the pedal. I would really appreciate getting this going and fast.”

Tweeddale West’s Councillor Drummond Begg added: “Short breaks are incredibly important to those in need in a carer role. If you are caring for a relative who has significant needs it is a 24/7 job, 365 days a year and sometimes those four to eight hours a week that you get are like gold.”

David Robertson, the acting chief executive of Scottish Borders Council, said: “The decision to close Teviot Day Service was not a financial decision. We didn’t do that to save money. Day services often cost less than personalised packages of care and we have been on a journey for many years as an organisation and what we have been trying to do is best meet people’s needs.

“We do recognise we got the decision wrong as an organisation and we respect Lady Carmichael’s decision and we are seeking to implement that as quickly as possible.”