Moray care staff get pat on the back for savings

Moray’s community care division has been praised for strictly controlling its £38million budget. Community services boss Sandy Riddell told the health and social care services committee yesterday that his 2009-10 budget was in a “strong position”.

His department is anticipating a £352,000 under-spend at the end of the current financial year, in March.

Underspends exist in home care, occupational therapy, the older people’s budget, mental health, learning disabilities, social work training and physical and sensory disability services.

Committee chairman Lee Bell said Mr Riddell’s team deserved to be recognised for their budget-handling.

He added: “The staff have to be congratulated for the hard work that has been done to take care of this budget.

“Other services in other councils would be jumping for joy up if they were in the position that we are in.”

In a report to the committee, the acting head of the community care team, Jane Mackie, said the underspend amounts were mainly caused by staff vacancies, invoice delays, purchasing and increased client income.

Mrs Mackie said the £26,000 underspend in occupational therapy was being offset by overspends on aids and minor adaptations to help people manage in their own homes.

The healthy budget position promptly led to calls for an occupational therapist to be recruited for a Moray town.

SNP ward councillor for Elgin City South John Sharpe said Buckie was in need of such a professional to complement a new scheme that has recently been set up, called the Home from Hospital project.

The Home from Hospital team now in place offers free help to patients recovering from a stay in hospital once they have returned to their home.

Mrs Mackie noted Mr Sharpe’s comment.

After the meeting, Mr Sharpe said: “The home care budget has got a slight underspend and it would be an opportunity to appoint an occupational therapist for Buckie.

“I was assured that this was in hand and was being looked at.”