PRESS RELEASE

May 1st, 2009

Home care inquiry

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP is to investigate the failures in elderly care provision exposed by a BBC Panorama programme.

The Local Government Committee will quiz bosses at South Lanarkshire Council and the Care Commission over the use of controversial ‘reverse e-auctions’ to procure contractors.

Undercover reporters from the BBC filmed three homecare providers and revealed them rushing between appointments, with some being missed entirely.

In one filmed incident in South Lanarkshire, the cameras showed an elderly client receiving a bed bath while his carer talked on the phone.

The procurement method of selling to the lowest bidder through ‘reverse e-auctions’ has been heavily criticised by trade unions and elderly campaigners for compromising standards to cut costs.

The committee will meet this Wednesday to confirm how to take the inquiry forward and they will begin taking evidence in the ext few weeks. Recommendation are likely be made to the Scottish Government following the inquiry.

Duncan McNeil, convener of the Local Government Committee, said: “The programme raised serious issues about social care provision and the procurement and tendering process.

“After Panorama was aired, I received an e-mail from a constituent who compared the tendering process to buying cheap jewellery on aTV shopping channel.

“The committee were all agreed that it needed investigation and we expect to begin taking evidence in the next few weeks.”

ENDS

For more information on the Panorama programme, click here.