'Incredibly sudden': Paisley care home closure slammed by worker

Tasha MacLellan, who works in Montrose Care Home, says that she, along with other staff members, found out about the confirmation of the closure through the press after only ever receiving generic emails about the rumours.

It was announced last month that the Foxbar institution would shut down, with members of the Integration Joint Board (IJB) – responsible for oversight of Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) – voting 6-2 on the decision.

The day the doors close is not known.

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Tasha MacLellan outside Montrose Care Home (Image: Anthony Flett)

Tasha, originally from the Isle of Skye but moved to Foxbar 12 years ago, says one week they were told "one care home would be closing and then the next week it was us".

She added: "The last couple of weeks, I'd say it's just been so incredibly, incredibly sudden.

"And that's the problem as you would expect these things to go on for a long time through a thorough process.

"But we just had one week in which we were told it might be us and then one week later it was confirmed as us.

"It's very difficult for the staff because there's such little information provided to them about their future.

"We've had better times, put it that way."

More than 2000 people had signed a petition opposing the closure of the home with campaigners having recently gathered in front of Renfrewshire House in Paisley to make their point known.

According to a report to the IJB, closing the home will provide a saving of £399,000.

However, Tasha says that there are many other factors to making an important decision such as this than just saving money.

People who have helped campaign to save Montrose Care Home were invited to speak with Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour Leader, in Paisley on April 5 to highlight their concerns.

Tasha also claims to have tried to contact several members of the council and the IJB to put the group's concerns to them, however, she said she was not responded to.

She went on to say: "The campaign is going strong, to be honest.

"I've got a lot of faith in this at least being halted.

"We tried so hard and we only had one week to prepare for it (the protest).

"But we don't think it had any impact on the IJB members in any way at all.

"We do feel that the three of the board members completely disregarded our residents' well-being and their future.

"So I did get in touch with each IJB member before the decision was made to speak to them about the last consultation and my worries about it.

"Not one got back in touch with me.

"I just thought that was really unacceptable."

A spokesperson for Renfrewshire HSCP said: "The information provided by the staff member is not factually correct. 

"There has been significant engagement with residents, families and staff and we fully understand how unsettling this is.

"We have listened to the voices of everyone who has shared their views with us over recent months. 

"We are committed to working with residents and their families to make sure their needs and preferences are prioritised.

"As part of our engagement, we also provided reassurance to our staff that they will be able to transfer to one of our remaining care homes – Renfrew or Hunterhill.”