Concern over key services in region

Campaigners felt it was “only a matter of time” after it was confirmed officials will ask decision-makers to reconsider cost-cutting proposals that would impact some of the area’s most vulnerable.

- JACK THOMSON, LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER

Parents and carers have fought tooth and nail to prevent the contentious measures suggested to help close a multi-million-pound budget gap facing Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).

They landed a stay of execution - one they were not willing to celebrate - when voting members were deadlocked on the issue at the integration joint board (IJB) in September.

But that reprieve may not last as a report to today’s IJB seeks approval to revisit eight proposals it was previously “unable to reach a decision on” at a future meeting. “Possible revisions” could be made to these “where appropriate”, it added.

Jennifer Lindsay, who has family members who attend the Disability Resource Centre (DRC) in Paisley and Milldale Day Opportunities in Linwood, explained the situation has created worry going into the festive period.

She said: “It’s probably what all parents and carers expected, if I’m being completely honest. It wasn’t going to go away and we knew it was only a matter of time before it would resurface.

“To bring it up at this time of year, when things are really tough for everyone, it just brings a huge amount of anxiety for people.

“You don’t like to talk about it or bring it up with service users because some of them have got a different understanding of it - some of them understand more, some of them don’t understand a lot - so you tend to not talk about it often.