Latest news with #RenaissanceCare
Scotsman
16 hours ago
- Health
- Scotsman
Edinburgh to host The Great British Care Cycle Relay
The cycling adventure begins at Glencairn Care Home to shine a light on the care services at the heart of every community Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Great British Care Cycle Relay, which celebrates the care services at the heart of every community, is set kick off at Glencairn Care Home in The Grange, Edinburgh at 9am on Thursday, June 12. It includes five individual, day-long cycle rides in Scotland, England and Wales totalling around 500km, with colleagues, supporters and families of all ages and abilities taking part and visiting care services enroute. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Eleven cyclists, including one from Renaissance Care, are taking part in the Scottish leg of the relay. The group will cycle a 123km loop, passing through Stenhousemuir and Winchburgh and visiting care homes such as Canmore Lodge Care Home in Dunfermline, Caledonian Court in Larbert and Linlithgow Care Home. The cyclists will also stop off at Alzheimer Scotland's new and expanded facilities in the city. The Great British Care Cycle Relay The Great British Care Cycle Relay also takes in a 94km York route through North Yorkshire, a 103km Nottingham route in the Midlands, a 125km route through Cardiff and South Wales and a 110km finale from Brighton to London on 16 June. By the end, Championing Social Care expects over 70 cyclists to have been involved. The end of the relay marks the start of Care Home Open Week 2025 (June 16-22), which aims to highlight the amazing work that is modern care. Ian Condie from Dunfermline is taking part in the race with his wife Jenny, he said: 'We're looking forward to the cycle, but with a little trepidation! At 123 kilometres, it'll be the longest distance we've ridden on our tandem this year, although as part of the route goes through Fife, it will be familiar territory for us. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This is a cause close to our hearts, as having lost my 98-year-old mum in January after a short illness, we've had first-hand experience of the fantastic job those involved in the care sector do for both those receiving care and their families. Mum as a resident at Orchardhead Care Home in Rosyth for the last couple of years and had been happy and well looked after there. It's good to give something back.' Organiser of The Great British Care Cycle Relay, Championing Social Care, is encouraging those people who want to take part, but are not cyclists, to instead to cheer the riders on as pass by or help give them a warm reception when they visit care homes enroute. The care home gatherings will provide an opportunity for the cyclists to connect with fellow colleagues, share stories, and enjoy the contagious enthusiasm that radiates throughout the relay. Championing Social Care Trustee and Founder and Chair of the Great British Care Cycle Relay, Vishal Shah said: 'The Great British Care Cycle Race is a fabulous precursor to Care Home Open Week. It's now its third year and our largest one yet. It connects the joy of cycling with visiting the incredible care services at the heart of communities up and down the country. The aim is to bring more of the general public closer to understanding what it's actually like to live and work in care and help dispel the negative narratives that often are shared. 'As a keen cyclist, any opportunity to get on a bike is always taken, but this relay is particularly special. My motivation for taking part stems from a deeply personal connection, as my grandmother lived with dementia and received incredible support from social care, which enabled her to live a life of quality and purpose. We were supported as family to not only navigate this journey but also enjoy the special connections and memories that we continued to create and share together.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Robert Kilgour, Chairman of Renaissance Care said: 'We're proud to host the launch event here at Glencairn Care Home. Care homes play a vital role within communities, delivering essential support to older adults and easing pressure on the wider health and social care system. "Every day, our dedicated staff bring compassion, expertise, and commitment to promoting the physical and emotional wellbeing of our residents. We're extremely proud of the work they do, and this event is a welcomed opportunity to shine a light on the outstanding work happening across the social care sector.' In 2024, over 5,500 care services took part in Care Home Open Week, which represents around a third of the total number of homes in the country. It is hoped this year's event will have even higher participation from care services, communities and government ministers.
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Health
- Scotsman
Edinburgh to host The Great British Care Cycle Relay
Cycling adventure begins at Glencairn Care Home to shine a light on the care services at the heart of every community Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Great British Care Cycle Relay, which celebrates the care services at the heart of every community, is set kick off at Glencairn Care Home in The Grange, Edinburgh at 9am on Thursday, June 12. It includes five individual, day-long cycle rides in Scotland, England and Wales totalling around 500km, with colleagues, supporters and families of all ages and abilities taking part and visiting care services enroute. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Eleven cyclists, including one from Renaissance Care, are taking part in the Scottish leg of the relay. The group will cycle a 123km loop, passing through Stenhousemuir and Winchburgh and visiting care homes such as Canmore Lodge Care Home in Dunfermline, Caledonian Court in Larbert and Linlithgow Care Home. The cyclists will also stop off at Alzheimer Scotland's new and expanded facilities in the city. The Great British Care Cycle Relay The Great British Care Cycle Relay also takes in a 94km York route through North Yorkshire, a 103km Nottingham route in the Midlands, a 125km route through Cardiff and South Wales and a 110km finale from Brighton to London on 16 June. By the end, Championing Social Care expects over 70 cyclists to have been involved. The end of the relay marks the start of Care Home Open Week 2025 (16 to 22 June), which aims to highlight the amazing work that is modern care. Ian Condie from Dunfermline is taking part in the race with his wife Jenny, he said: 'We're looking forward to the cycle, but with a little trepidation! At 123 kilometres, it'll be the longest distance we've ridden on our tandem this year, although as part of the route goes through Fife, it will be familiar territory for us. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This is a cause close to our hearts, as having lost my 98-year-old mum in January after a short illness, we've had first-hand experience of the fantastic job those involved in the care sector do for both those receiving care and their families. Mum as a resident at Orchardhead Care Home in Rosyth for the last couple of years and had been happy and well looked after there. It's good to give something back.' Organiser of The Great British Care Cycle Relay, Championing Social Care, is encouraging those people who want to take part, but are not cyclists, to instead to cheer the riders on as pass by or help give them a warm reception when they visit care homes enroute. The care home gatherings will provide an opportunity for the cyclists to connect with fellow colleagues, share stories, and enjoy the contagious enthusiasm that radiates throughout the relay. Championing Social Care Trustee and Founder and Chair of the Great British Care Cycle Relay, Vishal Shah said: 'The Great British Care Cycle Race is a fabulous precursor to Care Home Open Week. It's now its third year and our largest one yet. It connects the joy of cycling with visiting the incredible care services at the heart of communities up and down the country. The aim is to bring more of the general public closer to understanding what it's actually like to live and work in care and help dispel the negative narratives that often are shared. 'As a keen cyclist, any opportunity to get on a bike is always taken, but this relay is particularly special. My motivation for taking part stems from a deeply personal connection, as my grandmother lived with dementia and received incredible support from social care, which enabled her to live a life of quality and purpose. We were supported as family to not only navigate this journey but also enjoy the special connections and memories that we continued to create and share together.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Robert Kilgour, Chairman of Renaissance Care said: 'We're proud to host the launch event here at Glencairn Care Home. Care homes play a vital role within communities, delivering essential support to older adults and easing pressure on the wider health and social care system. "Every day, our dedicated staff bring compassion, expertise, and commitment to promoting the physical and emotional wellbeing of our residents. We're extremely proud of the work they do, and this event is a welcomed opportunity to shine a light on the outstanding work happening across the social care sector.'
The Courier
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Dundee care boss says Keir Starmer is playing politics with vulnerable people
A Dundee care home boss says Sir Keir Starmer's changes to the UK's immigration system will force operators to reduce the number of council-funded places. The prime minister unveiled plans on Monday to ban recruitment of care workers from overseas. It prompted outcry from social care sector leaders who say they are reliant on foreign labour. Dr Robert Kilgour, chairman of Renaissance Care, which operates care homes in Blairgowrie and Dundee, says he has been 'shocked' by the UK Government's treatment of the sector. He accused the Labour administration of a 'knee jerk' reaction to the success of Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK. 'It should be about people not politics, and vulnerable people at that,' he said. 'I don't think they've thought it through.' Instead of a visa scheme for carers, firms will have to hire British nationals or extend existing visas. Sir Keir says his changes will 'reduce immigration significantly'. His government promises a new fair pay agreement for care staff to encourage British nationals to take roles in social care, but Home Secretary Yvette Cooper seemed unable to say how this would be funded when pressed. Dr Kilgour says providers will have to reduce the number of council-funded places to meet the government's demand of increasing wages to make caring more attractive to UK workers. He says around 70% of residents in his homes are state-funded, though he is exploring ways of decreasing that. He said: 'It's fairly two faced of the prime minister and the government to say this. 'On the one hand they're saying we need to recruit more in the UK and we need to pay our staff more – both of those statements I'd be 100% in agreement with, I'd love to pay our staff more – but when your main customer won't pay the true cost of care and pay you more, then what options do you have? 'I'm working on a few initiatives to reduce our dependency on local authority funding by bringing that percentage down.' He says will look to eventually increase the number of privately funded residents to 50%. If other providers adopted a similar approach to increase their income then it would inevitably make finding care harder for those who cannot afford to pay. Dr Kilgour says operators may also be forced to announce further closures due to this latest 'attack'. 'I know loads of operators are looking at closing homes. I closed one last month due to the National Insurance changes. I know of others with this latest attack by the government on the care sector.' The care chief also says the changes will also make fixing problems in the NHS even more challenging. He added: 'It's a fact that you cannot fix the NHS without first fixing social care. 'But at every turn, they seem to be determined to make social care worse.' Sir Keir accused industries of being 'almost addicted to importing cheap labour' over investing in the skills of British workers. 'Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control,' he said.
Telegraph
12-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Reeves warned of ‘tsunami of care home closures' in wake of tax raid
Rachel Reeves will trigger a 'tsunami of closures' across Britain's care home sector, a leading operator has warned, after her tax raid forced it to shut one of its sites. Robert Kilgour, the founder of Renaissance Care, said he had been left with no choice but to close one of his 19 care homes in Scotland last week as a direct result of the Chancellor's Budget, which sparked an increase in running costs. He attacked the Government over its 'profound lack of support and understanding of the care sector', as he warned that the closure is just the 'tip of the iceberg' across the UK's strained social care sector. The closure comes after Mr Kilgour, who employs more than 1,400 workers and houses more than 700 residents across his Renaissance care homes business, repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of higher National Insurance contributions (NICs). He said the policy change, which includes lowering the threshold at which NICs is paid from £9,100 to £5,000, would cost his business hundreds of thousands pounds extra a year. The extra burden has since prompted the closure of the home, with Mr Kilgour claiming he had 'sleepless nights' over the decision. 'It is hugely disappointing that it has come to this because they have been warned,' he told The Telegraph. 'I did not think that the Labour Government would make the social care sector worse and it's completely shocking that they have done so. I fear a tsunami of closures in the second half of this year and in the first half of next year. 'That is going to lead to more beds being blocked and longer NHS waiting lists. And reducing waiting lists is the whole reason Ms Reeves has said she is raising taxes. 'They have really shot themselves in both feet by doing this.' Mr Kilgour, who opened his first care home in 1989, also said it was particularly 'galling' that publicly funded care homes had been shielded from Ms Reeves's £25bn tax raid, unlike those in the private sector that are bearing the brunt of higher levies. He highlighted a new survey which said 50pc Scottish care homes were actively considering closure. Edward Argar MP, shadow health and social care secretary, said: 'Conservatives, and the care sector, warned the Labour Government again and again of the devastating impact their jobs tax would have on social care providers already under pressure. 'And we now see a hugely-respected figure in the sector setting out those real-world consequences very clearly. 'Labour's jobs tax, coupled with the changes to thresholds, has piled yet more pressure on providers, and they in many cases will be faced with no option but to close homes.' The impact of the tax raid has led to a group of private care homes launching legal action against the Chancellor. Care England, the industry body for private care homes, has announced a judicial review in the hope of securing a carve out from the tax rises. Martin Green, the group's chief executive, told The Telegraph: 'This judicial review marks a critical moment for adult social care. 'The decision to increase National Insurance contributions without exempting the care sector is a political signal that social care remains an afterthought.' The Government was contacted for comment. The NHS and social care are two sides of the same coin By Robert Kilgour It's not rocket science, just a simple fact that you cannot fix the NHS crisis without first fixing the long-standing crisis in social care. Social care desperately needs a 10-year funding and workforce plan, better integration with the NHS and enhanced use of technology, including AI. Recent UK governments of all different colours have repeatedly failed to deliver on their promises to reform social care. For too many years it has been 'NHS first and social care second'. That makes no sense when you consider what would happen to the NHS if social care were to collapse. Social care was already running on fumes by the time of the July 2024 general election, after many years of government neglect and lack of proper funding and the impacts of the pandemic and the energy crisis. I did not expect the new Labour Government to make social care reform an urgent priority and I was not surprised when they kicked it into the long grass with yet another commission. The Casey Commission, which will not issue its final report until 2028, is the third independent commission on social care reform in England to be created over the last three decades. I was, however, shocked when they made things far worse with the employers' National Insurance changes in Rachel Reeves's October 'tax bombshell' Budget. These changes have now come fully and painfully into place from April 6 this week. The 8.7pc rate increase from 13.8pc to 15pc was bad enough but the reduction of the starting threshold from £9,100 to £5,000 was the real killer blow, particularly for the retail, hospitality and care sectors who employ a high percentage of part time staff. This is a shocking betrayal by this Government of all the amazing front-line pandemic heroes and all the vulnerable individuals for whom they care. I hoped for some small crumb of help in the recent Spring Statement but was again disappointed. This time however, I wasn't surprised. It is painfully clear that the Chancellor and this Government appear to have no grasp of how just critical things are at the front line of social care. This was demonstrated by ENI tax relief being given to the public sector but not the independent sector despite them providing a public service. Where is the fairness in that – more public sector good, private sector bad. It is good to hear that Care England is set to launch a judicial review of the Chancellor's actions in this regard. Although Renaissance Care is a private company, we provide a public service with 70pc of our residents being local authority funded. We provide a good quality of care at half the cost of Local Authority run care homes to the taxpayer. We have also seen Local Authority fee increases for this coming year vary between zero and 6pc, the majority somewhere in the middle. That is totally inadequate for the sector to be able to cope with all the Budget increases and changes. As night follows day, care homes will close as a direct result of the October Budget. That will lead to more NHS blocked beds, more cancelled NHS operations and longer NHS waiting lists; a huge own goal by this Government. It was therefore, with a heavy heart and much sadness, that Renaissance Care announced on Tuesday the very difficult decision to close one of our 19 care homes as a direct result of the financial impact of Budget measures and the profound lack of support and understanding of the care sector by the Government. Disturbingly, our closure may be the tip of the iceberg in light of a recent Scottish Care survey showing that 50pc of Scottish care homes were actively considering closure. It is clear that we urgently need to have a level playing field of care provision and cost of care between the independent and voluntary sector and the public sector – taxpayers deserve nothing less.
