Carers vow to fight service cuts with "everything they have" after protest in Paisley

Daily Record

01-07-2025

Campaigners gathered on Friday as uncertainty surrounds the future of services relied upon by their loved ones.
Carers have vowed to fight cost-cutting proposals with everything they have after picking up their placards and descending on Renfrewshire House.
Dozens of campaigners gathered in protest on Friday as uncertainty surrounds the future of Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) services relied upon by their loved ones.
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Demonstrators rallied and held their signs aloft in Paisley's Cotton Street – weeks after stark detail was published on measures which have been suggested to help close a multi-million-pound budget gap.
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Having already spoken of their exhaustion, they declared they will press on until a final decision is made at the integration joint board, which oversees the HSCP, in September.
Linda Murray, a representative of the Renfrewshire Learning Disability Carers Group, said: "It's a case of making them aware that we're not going to lie down to it. We will fight with everything we have.
"We know there needs to be cuts. We're all in the same boat ourselves, we're having to cut the cloth to suit today's climate, so we totally get that but there's still a feeling of it seems to be very disabled-heavy with the cuts.
"Ten per cent to another service might be nothing but ten per cent to our guys is the world basically."
Linda, whose daughter Gillian attends Milldale day service, continued: "We have to keep going. That's all we can do."
If approved at the IJB, day services for people with learning and physical disabilities would operate across three hubs – Milldale in Linwood and the Anchor Centre and Spinners Gate in Paisley.
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Services would no longer use Paton's Resource Centre in Johnstone or the Mirin at Lagoon Leisure Centre and the Disability Resource Centre in Paisley.
There could also be changes to respite provision at Weavers Linn, with people deemed in 'critical need' receiving up to 28 nights per year and in 'substantial need' receiving up to 21 nights.
In older adult day services, the closure of Ralston Day Centre has been proposed and people would instead be offered a place at facilities in Johnstone and Renfrew.
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Autism Connections and Flexicare, which support people with autism and learning disabilities, could be shut down while the HSCP could make a saving by ending the assertive outreach model, which helps people with learning disabilities with high care needs.
Other ideas include removing three staff posts from the health visiting team through retirement or not filling vacancies and the scaling back of the Childsmile programme.
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Jennifer Lindsay, who has family members who attend the Disability Resource Centre and Milldale, said it felt like "everyone was coming together" at the protest.
She added: "I have two autistic sons so not only am I fighting for the family members I have just now in these centres, I'm fighting for the future of both my kids because if these proposals happen, dare I say it, is there going to be anything for kids in the future?
"If these centres go from six to three just now, by the time my kids leave school and reach adult services, there could be next to nothing.
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"When something else could be closing or there's disappointing news from another avenue that's going to affect vulnerable kids, adults, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, it can feel as if it's across the board.
"If there's a time when it feels like, what is the point in this because they're just going to keep coming back for something else, you have to dig deep and keep going and that's exactly what we've all had to do.
"We've had to rally round and say, we're not fighting for one centre any more, we're fighting for everything."
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A budget gap of £18.5 million was recently predicted for the HSCP for 2026/27 – a figure that could increase further in the years to follow.
An HSCP spokesperson said: "IJBs across Scotland are currently facing significant financial challenges. Renfrewshire IJB considered around £19m of possible savings options across HSCP service areas last December.
"This reflected the IJB's decision that savings of 10 per cent across all influenceable service budgets should be identified, wherever possible.
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"Several proposals were approved at the time which will be delivered through internal redesign and will deliver savings and protect frontline services where possible. This included proposals for how we deliver care at home, community nursing, primary care support and community mental health.
"We are engaging with our staff around these proposals and the revised models for these areas are in development. Responsibility for implementation and monitoring of these proposals has been delegated to the HSCP's sustainable futures programme board.
"Further proposals were to be developed with feedback gathered through public engagement. These were developed through discussion with service users, carers, impacted staff and partners. As part of our engagement approach, we offered people a variety of ways to share their views on the proposals.
"The feedback gathered will be used to help IJB voting members understand the impact each proposal would have when they meet to review the updated proposals at their meeting in September. No decisions will be made on any of these proposals until then."