Day Care Centres close due to staffing issues

Orkney Health and Care has taken the difficult decision to close Older People’s Day Care from 19 December through to 4 January 2023 due to staffing issues.

This affects two Mainland day care centres – Gilbertson and West Mainland.

Every effort was made to look at all avenues to ensure that no closures would be required, but unfortunately that has simply not been possible.

More than anticipated numbers of agency staff have notified of their intention not to work over the holiday period, which has left us without the local capacity to fulfil all social care needs.

The most vulnerable people living in our community must continue to receive care packages so this has meant deploying day care staff to the Care at Home service during the festive period.

Those Care at Home service users will receive the required visits on the days they would ordinarily attend Day Care.

Chief Officer Orkney Health and Social Care Partnership, Stephen Brown, said: “We had been working to try and ensure a solution for all and to avoid closures of the centres and this is why the notice has come later in the day than we would have hoped.

“We have explored all options to try and ensure all services could remain running over the festive period but, unfortunately, this has just not been possible.

“It is with deep regret that we have had to make this decision and we sincerely apologise for the closures, but we simply must try and maintain a service for those most vulnerable members of our community.

“There continues to be a national shortage of care workers and we do rely on agency staff to bolster the local workforce.

“We must thank our day centre staff for agreeing to help out elsewhere – they continue to demonstrate why they are working within a caring profession.”