Time for hospital social work teams to increase service - Iain Whyte
There is nothing more sobering for councillors than hearing the stories of families with seriously ill or disabled children. Natural compassion wills you to do more to help.
This week the council meeting was faced with families arguing for the maintenance of a “hospital social work service” at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.
The council’s Director of Education, Children and Families has proposed that the service be provided by social workers from family teams in office bases alongside other colleagues throughout the city. Trade unions and many councillors claimed this was a service cut and railed against it.
Contrast this emotional message with the stark and factual findings of public spending watchdog the Accounts Commission, presented at the same meeting, that “The council is not yet demonstrating significant transformational change activity to reduce demand for its services and secure longer-term financial sustainability.”
In plain terms the auditors are telling us that the council needs to do more for less. It needs to make sure it provides a proper service to all that need it and do that within tightening resources.
Given this dilemma my Conservative colleagues chose to check with the director what was proposed. The truth is that these hospital social workers each help ten families while their colleagues in the community help an average of 15.
Indeed, the community social work teams specifically for disabled children help 27 families. And there is a waiting list the director wants to solve with the change.
The hospital team only work office hours and the change brings an out of hours service. They can also work from home half the time so “going to the hospital to meet a family”, the new expectation, is already normal. And management are concerned that having a team in the hospital is bypassing vital safeguards needed for children in the community.
Like everyone, I’m not immune to the calls of individual families who oppose change. But if the council can’t hold the line on an operational adjustment that will increase the service, helping more families within the same resources, what chance transformation?
Left wing councillors, some seeking publicity as they are running to be MSPs, accepting trade union blocks to any changes are accepting a council that is run for the producer rather than the service user. A disgrace that explains why, despite huge spending, Scotland’s public services are failing those who need them.