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25/2/2025

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East Renfrewshire families slam social care charges
3 hrs ago


By Gillian McPherson
Reporter

Families impacted by the introduction of new social care charges have slammed the “callous” and “inhumane” move.

Earlier this month it was revealed that means-tested £20 per hour fees for non-residential care can be introduced from July after they received the backing of East Renfrewshire Council’s (ERC) Cabinet.

Concerned parents and siblings claim the move is part of a “two-pronged attack” on the most vulnerable in society which will "strip them of their independence and quality of life".

The controversial decision, however, has been “called in” for further scrutiny which means it will be discussed by all councillors at the full council meeting tomorrow (February 26) at 10am.

Siobhan Carroll, whose 30-year-old brother Liam Sweeney has Down's Syndrome and lives with her mum and dad in Netherlee, said: “There are these charges on support but they are also wanting to review everybody’s packages and basically slash them and reduce them to a bare minimum.

“They phoned my mum and told her Liam wasn’t getting support on a Wednesday anymore which was really distressing for my family and my brother.

“I think what you’ll find if this all comes through is that these people will just all be behind closed doors. They won’t be there anymore.

“They won’t be able to afford to go out and do things they want to do and the things that maybe allow them to find a wee bit enjoyment of life.

“I just think they are targeting the most vulnerable in society who can't speak for themselves or defend themselves.”

It is estimated the charges could affect around 500 residents.

While personal care is not included, they will relate to non-residential care like “social supports”, which include “help to access our communities, support with shopping, day opportunities as well as building and community-based services”, an official previously said.

A petition started against the charges has attracted more than 1,000 signatures while a social media campaign against the plans has also generated support.

The petition was started by Tracey Campbell whose daughter Leia, 18, has Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects the nervous system and causes physical and learning disabilities.

“Leia has bad anxiety and ended up leaving school early,” explained Tracey from Netherlee.

“She was quite socially isolated and really struggled to get out of the house.

“A large part of her recovery has been going to see horses and go horse riding.

"She also likes to go to the theatre, circus and cinema and none of these are the cheapest of pursuits so I wonder what it will do to her.

“There is a big concern that she will not be able to do that and the impact that will have on her mental health.

“It is likely that East Renfrewshire Council will spend more money on the implementation on this than they ever make back.”

Maria Gilligan Thomson from Giffnock, whose sister Claire is 36 and has Down's Syndrome, autism and other related health conditions including epilepsy, is also deeply concerned.

She said: “The consultation process has been very poor.

"Claire was lettered because it affects us, but I think they just hoped it would be passed without too much fuss.

"Everyone I'm speaking to has no idea about this if it doesn't directly affect them, but nobody knows what care or support they will need in future.

“This isn't a niche problem. It really is everybody's problem."

Maria’s mum Karen, who is also from Giffnock, added: “Claire and three of my friends’ children have Down's Syndrome and each have spent time in intensive care on ventilators fighting for their life and to continue to live.

“That's why we will fight to allow them to have a good life and a happy life and a fulfilled life because they deserve it.

“They deserve to be part of the community and they have been for 35 plus years. They have been part of the community and educated in mainstream school.

“We can’t see why the council would decide this is an appropriate thing to. It’s callous and it’s inhumane.

"Hopefully common sense will prevail.”

A decision on whether to roll out the charges was delayed in December to see whether the planned Scottish Government’s budget provided any extra support.

Financial assessments will be carried out and a taper level has been set to “determine the percentage of the disposable income the person should keep and the percentage that should go towards paying for their care”.

Councillors decided to go with 40%, which is estimated to bring in just under £1m.

“Our children cannot work and the only money that comes in for them is benefits and that's been classed as income which is bizarre,” said Karen.

“The Department of Work and Pensions has stated the amount of benefits that my sister Claire requires to live a full and happy life and then East Renfrewshire want to come in and take some of that away. It just beggars life,” added Maria.

The Cabinet also decided to change the implementation date from April to July 1.

East Renfrewshire is the last of six HSCPs in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area to introduce charging for non-residential care and only Inverclyde, at 25%, will have a lower taper.

"Instead of saying that we are going to follow everyone else, East Renfrewshire should be keeping its head held high and saying 'no we are going to show every other authority how to take care of vulnerable residents' and then maybe others would start following us," said Karen.

Councillor Owen O’Donnell, the leader of ERC, said: “It was with a really heavy heart that the council’s Cabinet supported the IJB’s recommendation to introduce charging.

“After years of underfunding by the Scottish Government, the IJB has run out of options and has to make very difficult decisions to meet the significant financial challenges of delivering services in the long term.

“All five of the other HSCPs in Greater Glasgow and Clyde introduced charging for non-residential care many years ago.

“Across the country the average cap on what people have to pay from their disposable income is 64% and in some areas it’s up to 75%.

“After extensive feedback from service users, the council’s Cabinet has recommended that for people in East Renfrewshire, the cap be reduced from the 60% proposed by the IJB to 40% and that the introduction of charges be delayed from April to July.

“These charges are not expected to apply to the majority of service users.”

A spokesperson from East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) said: “If approved by full council, the introduction of any charges for non-residential care would be a big change for people in receipt of non-residential care in East Renfrewshire, and we know this is concerning to them and their loved ones.

“We must stress that any charge would be linked to the ability to pay, and this would be established through a financial assessment.

"This would be carried out in partnership with the people we support and their families or carers.

“We will work with individuals, families, carers and our wide range of partners to minimise the impact of this change, as we know many are worried about what this will mean for them.

“We have worked hard for a long time to avoid introducing these charges, which is why we are the only HSCP in Greater Glasgow & Clyde that does not currently do so.

"Regrettably, we are facing unprecedented financial pressures, and have had to make a host of difficult decisions over the last two years."