Save Our Bield Campaign

– in the Scottish Parliament at on 18 January 2018.

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Photo of Johann Lamont Johann Lamont Labour

On Saturday, I had the privilege of taking up the invitation—which I think was extended to all members of the Scottish Parliament—to attend a save our Bield campaign meeting, to hear directly the consequences of the decision by Bield to revise its business model. It is a revision which, in effect, has led to the planned eviction of elderly residents from their homes and the potential loss of 300 jobs from a workforce that does its best for these residents.

If those 300 jobs were all located in one place, perhaps there would have been more effective action already.

I hear what the First Minister said about all the meetings that have taken place, but will she direct her cabinet secretary for health to meet the save our Bield campaign and union representatives as a matter of urgency, to identify how the Scottish Government will protect the rights of older people to be treated with proper respect and ensure that the staff, who face huge uncertainty in relation to their jobs, can be told what the Scottish Government will do to support them at this very difficult time?

Photo of Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon Scottish National Party

The health secretary will be happy to meet any interested parties, given the seriousness of the situation. I will not repeat everything that I said in response to Richard Leonard. However, when I was health secretary, I dealt with a similar situation—the collapse of a care home company—and I know how difficult that was for the residents involved and how difficult it was for all the partners to come together to find solutions.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with anybody and everybody to find the solutions that are in the interests of residents and we will be happy to meet others who want to achieve the same outcome.