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Robison thanks Scotland’s care workers
14/01/2010
Public Health Minister Shona Robison today visited a day care centre to pay tribute to care workers across Scotland for their efforts to keep vital services going during the severe weather.
Thousands of care workers have gone the extra mile during the prolonged low temperatures, sometimes staying overnight in care homes or walking long distances in the snow to ensure that elderly and vulnerable people have been getting the care they need.
The Jean Mackie Centre in Dunfermline provides respite and day care for older people and their carers. Like other day care centres in Fife and across the rest of Scotland, its workers went to visit service users who could not get to the centre during the extreme weather, taking them bread, milk and other essentials.
Arrangements were also made to ensure 24-hour services were kept going, with staff stepping in to cover shifts for those who could not get to work because of the snow.
Ms Robison said: "I would like to thank the thousands of care workers across Scotland who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make sure our elderly and vulnerable people are looked after.
"The action of the staff at the Jean Mackie Centre is just one example of the tireless effort of care workers in Fife and the rest of the country to make sure that those they care for were warm, healthy and well fed during the extremely cold weather.
"Although there has been snow this morning in some parts of Scotland we are nevertheless hopeful the worst is over. Care workers in areas where the weather remains bad are continuing to go the extra mile - sometimes quite literally - to ensure they get to the people they look after.
"Scotland's care sector should be very proud of the sterling effort it has made - and is continuing to make - to keep our vulnerable people well looked after. I know the people they look after will also appreciate their unstinting care."
Marion Bell, Team Manager for Residential Day and Home Care Services at Fife Council, said: "No matter which part of social services you work for, in the offices or out in the streets, our work never stops. As the lifeblood of the service, staff have excelled against the odds.
"Where we could not safely transport vulnerable people to access care services we made arrangements to go and visit those who needed help, ensuring they had food, were keeping warm and saw a friendly face."
Although there is still a need to remain ready to deal with wintry conditions, the prolonged cold weather has been improving in many areas:
- All major transport links remain open
- Emergency services, hospitals and schools continue to operate
- Nearly all First ScotRail services have returned to the normal timetable
- The Scottish Government and local authorities are drawing on salt-grit stocks at a national level, close to 49,000 tonnes
- As at yesterday evening, 99.5 per cent of schools were open
- The Scottish Ambulance Service reports only very limited access problems on minor routes