Edinburgh Support Workers’ Action Network - Press Release 1st Feb 2010

CONTROVERSIAL CARE AND SUPPORT TENDER COLLAPSES

Campaign groups call for resignations over ‘shambolic’ process and vow to continue fight for fair funding for people with disabilities

The tender process for care and support services which has drawn heavy criticism from campaign groups, service users and their families and carers was finally dropped today.

The process, which would have seen the transfer of vital services for 800 people with physical disabilities, mental health conditions and learning disabilities transferred to new, cheaper providers, was suspended in December pending an independent evaluation.

Council Chief Executive Tom Aitchison today concluded that the findings of the report left the Council with no other choice but to drop the whole tender process.

The report, which is being kept confidential, found that that the process was not sufficiently “meticulous” as well as casting doubts over the “quality assurance process”.

The collapse of the tender has led to campaign groups and opposition councillors calling for resignation of Paul Edie, the City’s health and social care convener, who has faced complaints for his behaviour towards service-users and campaigners during the process.

Danny Oliver, a member of Edinburgh Support Workers’ Action Network (SWAN) said

“We have been saying this process was flawed all along. This has now been verified by an independent evaluation but were it not for the tireless campaigning of service-users and care workers the tender would have been pushed through months ago. Paul Edie described the process as “robust” as recently as December. Now the Council has spent £80k of taxpayers’ money on this independent report. £80k could provide a 10 hour support package for 10 vulnerable people for a whole year and yet it has been wasted on discovering that Paul Edie’s process was not as ‘robust’ as he has been telling us”. *

Unelected Council officials, who earn over £100k, have also come in for criticism for overseeing the process and making recommendations which are now seen as discredited. Jessica Mackin, also a member of SWAN told us

“This entire shambles has caused huge amounts of stress for the people we care for which we’ve had to support them with despite facing uncertainty over the future of our own jobs. We think that it’s time for Paul Edie to seriously consider his position as health and social care convener and the unelected, overpaid Directors behind this process; Mark Turley, Peter Gabbitas and Donald McGougan should also be brought to account for their actions”.

Whilst they are celebrating this victory campaign groups say their fight is not yet over. The Council still intends to use Direct Payment rates based on the flawed tender process to reduce funding to services. With continued protests and legal challenges promised this is proving to be an issue that will not go away for the City of Edinburgh Council..

* Based on proposed new Direct Payment rate of £15.04 per hour

www.swanedinburgh.org.uk

Edinburgh Support Workers' Action Network (SWAN) is a network of care and support workers set up to fight the budget cuts and competitive tendering being imposed by Edinburgh Council which threaten our jobs and our service-users' quality of care.