Lifeline Glasgow children’s care service saved from the axe

A LIFELINE NHS care service for disabled children that was due to be axed has been saved - after the Glasgow Times stepped in.

Six families across the city with kids suffering with complex medical conditions were told that the ICare provision was to be halted at the end of June as a result of budget cuts.

After we took parents’ concerns to health board bosses, they have now decided on a U-turn and say they are committed to keeping the service going until May next year.

It means that some families, whose children are all under the age of 16, will continue to have access to a specialist nurse and weekly home visits to provide care and much-needed respite.

One mum, whose 15-year-old son suffers from cerebral palsy, told how threats to end the service left her unable to sleep with worry.

She said: “My son is tube-fed and doubly incontinent, so to even think about stopping this care was beyond cruel.

“The nurse has been coming to our home since he was five and they have developed a trusted bond. He knows he receives kindness and compassion and as a family we also value the vital care she provides to our son.”

The woman says that the loss of the service would have had a crippling impact on those who rely on it.

She added: “It’s not a massive commitment and is tailored around just six children, but they benefit from it enormously. Once they turn 16, they move over to adult services, so in my son’s case we are talking about keeping it going for another year before he would need to make that transition anyway. It made no sense to pull the plug on it for the little cash it was going to save.

“It’s also my understanding that nurse plans to retire then anyway, so the original decision was ludicrous. The savings to the NHS would have been minimal but the effect on us would have been life-changing.”

The mum says the fear the service was to be axed had caused a lot of anxiety, adding: “It has brought so much worry and stress because we were faced with having to get carers from Cordia, who we don’t know, or do it all ourselves. In my case that would have meant having to give up my job, and that would obviously impact on us financially.”

After the family flagged their concerns, the Glasgow Times approached NHSGGC health board to ask why the service was being cut. We were told that the decision to transition the ICare provision to streamline all support services via social care was made following a review in 2020, with families informed of this change before the axe fell this summer.

However, our source was then contacted and told her son will now continue to receive the support until next year.

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She added: “I just can’t thank the Glasgow Times enough for taking this on and fighting our corner. I couldn’t believe it when I was told there had been a rethink, but it’s absolutely the right and proper thing to do.

“My son is over the moon because he was so worried about losing the nurse he’s grown up with. He’s so happy that his normal routine can continue for another year without any changes.

“It’s also a massive relief to us and all of the other families who rely on the help. We have peace of mind and a bit of time to get adjusted for transferring over to adult services. I’m just so very grateful that the right decision was made in the end. I can finally sleep at night knowing everything is going to be alright.”

A spokesperson for NHSGGC said the health board was aware of the importance of the specialist care and had decided on a rethink.

They added: “We have considered the individual issues of a small number of families still being supported by the ICare service and recognise the importance of relationships that have been built with staff in the service.

“As such a number of families have been contacted to offer a longer period of transition to ensure all have alternative supports in place prior to the service withdrawing.”