ONE OF Scotland’s largest independent care home operators said it is being forced to diversify into the home care market but the move will create new jobs, writes Philippa Stephen.
Perth-based Balhousie Care Group, which has ploughed around £20 million into building new homes and extending existing sites over the past two years, said it will have to expand into the new market because UK-wide austerity measures mean finance for future investment is being frozen.
The group’s newest homes at Balhousie St Ronan’s, in Dundee, and Balhousie Huntly, in Aberdeenshire, alongside the rebuilt Balhousie Monkbarns Care Home in Arbroath, have taken its total care homes to 27, with beds for up to 1,100 residents.
But chairman Tony Banks said future builds are on hold amid government funding restrictions.
According to Mr Banks, although 2013 is set to be a year of consolidation, expansion will come from plans to diversify into domiciliary care.
He said: “Balhousie Care Group has committed the highest amount of investment in care for the elderly in the past two years, despite a squeeze on public sector finances and austerity measures.
“However, we can’t continue that level of investment until we can secure more finance and our plans for a major development at Isla Road in Perth are on hold for the foreseeable future due to funding constraints, although this will be progressed when the banks make more money available.”
However Mr Banks said the group was always on the lookout for opportunities to develop particularly across the central belt and in Aberdeenshire.
“There may also be opportunities to diversify further into other areas of care, particularly domiciliary care, which is the delivery of a range of personal care and support services to people in their own homes, backed up by an increasing population and devolved personal budgets and direct payments which allow people to choose their care package,” he said.
“We also already have some new supported living accommodation at Coupar Angus and Huntly and this is another area we will be expanding.”
Staff levels at the group will rise, as a result, according to Mr Banks, and will include the recruitment of new members of staff with the responsibility for developing the domiciliary care offering.