In the firing line over Dunmuir Park

Thursday, May 04, 2006 - Galloway News (Visit Web Site)

COUNCILLORS and council officials were expected to come under fire last night for the way they have handled the closure of Dunmuir Park in Castle Douglas.

The special meeting, called by the Friends of Dunmuir Park heard from senior officials of the council and Councillor Jim Dempster, chairman of the Adult Services Committee, the committee that took the decision to close the building and move the residents into their own accommodation.

The council officials and councillors were expected to face a barrage of criticism from parents and guardians of the home’s residents at the meeting held in Castle Douglas Parish Church Hall.

Councillor Dempster said that as the recently appointed chair of the adult services committee he wanted to hear first hand what the residents and their parents and guardians had to say.

“I also wanted to reiterate clearly the decision to close the building has been taken. It would not be viable to reverse that matter,” he said. “I have read the many letters in the local press and last week’s article in The Galloway News that there is concern over the lack of consultation and the issue surrounding a lack of a communal area.

“I recognise that these are genuine areas of concern that do require further discussion…”

He told the meeting he could give two assurances.

“Firstly, if there has been lack of consultation, I apologise, and I will ensure that each resident along with their parent or guardian will be visited by Social Services to outline clearly what accommodation will be available and what care or support package will be appropriate for each individual resident.

“The issue regarding the lack of a communal area is one that needs further examination. Loreburn Housing Association are the owners of the proposed new accommodation and obviously the council are not in a position to dictate. There may be other options more suitable other than a communal area but further discussion with the residents would be necessary.

“I want to emphasise that I do believe individuals with disabilities or special needs should be integrated into local communities with appropriate support where necessary. The present accommodation is not presently ‘fit for purpose’, is over two floors with no lift and I believe that moving the residents into more modern, more suitable accommodationwill be a positive improvement to the quality of their lives.”

Councillor Dempster said he was firmly of the view that this was not a bricks and mortar issue but an issue about people. He added:“I understand the fears that arise from any change, but I want to reassure everyone that the interests of the residents are being taken into consideration and should that not be the case I want to hear about it.”

Sent back to think again

Thursday, May 04, 2006 - Galloway News (Visit Web Site)

FINAL decisions on the fate of Dunmuir Park will be further delayed after councillors and officials admitted a breakdown in communication.

Speaking at a public meeting last Wednesday night in Castle Douglas, councillors ‘held their hands up’ to a lack of consultation which has provoked outcry from families and friends of residents.

It was agreed that a full asessment would take place with all residents, their families and legal representatives after some claimed they had not seen a social worker for over a year.

Concerned friends and family begged the councillors to reconsider their decisions and put the residents who are not ready to move out at the centre of the plans.

Officials and councillors from the Adult Services Sub-Committee (ASSC) heard from concered residents, carers and Friends of Dunmuir Park (FDP) at the first meeting that all sides have attended since the initial plans to close the facility in 2002.

Robert Sproat, a 25-year-old resident of Dunmuir Park, who has learning difficulties, told the meeting: “No one has ever asked me where I want to live.

“I wouldn’t want to live out in the community because I would be socially excluded.”

He addressed the councilors and council officials: “I would like one of these people to stand-up honestly say that I have a choice.”

Chris Green, financial and welfare attorney for Dunmuir Park resident Donald Emmerson, who is 54 and has Down’s Syndrome, backed the view that the plans to close Dunmuir Park should have been made after consideration of residents and carers views.

He said: “How can we know that the alternatives are suitable if we don’t know what the alternatives are?”

Mr Green added that he and his wife are legally obliged to represent Donald’s views and they are fighting for them to be heard.

Rosemary Flexney, group manager for adult services, was the first to admit that the level of information given to those involved had been inadequate.

She said: “There are various choices for those involved that people don’t know about.

“That might be my fault for not telling them.”

She continued: “It is misinformation and a mistake to think that we are going to reduce the service.”

She admitted that the council had got ‘the cart before the horse’ and said that it was a great shame that a lot of anxiety had been created.

Councillor William Scobie said those who had attended were not going to be satisfied with any answer the panel of councillors and officials had to give.

He suggested they get on with discussing how to move forward for the benefit of the residents rather that “trying to defend the indefensible”.

After hearing that residents are scared to be without their communal ‘safety net’ unit , councillors were asked to give their assurances that a similar communal unit would be available to the residents.

Castle Douglas community councillor Derek Brown asked Rosemary Flexney, to assure those concerned that there would be a core unit in the new development for socialising.

She replied that the question was unfair but said that no residents would be moved from Dunmuir Park until a suitable alternative had been found.

Representatives from Loreburn Housing, who also attended the meeting, confirmed that there are no plans for communal space in the six, two-bedroomed flat development on Merrick Road, Castle Douglas.

Ms Flexney said that the council aim to give people information on all of the alternatives so that they can make an informed choice. She added that it is easy for the residents to say that they don’t want to change their situation if they don’t know any different.

Councillors and officials say that the restpite facilities at Dunmuir Park are inadequate and when the chance to provide an updated service at Loreburn came-up they decided to go for it, prompting the decision to update the whole unit.

Care worker at Dunmuir Park, Moira McConnell, said that the way that the residents had been treated was unacceptable.

She said: “The people who live at Dunmuir Park are scared and they don’t know what is going to happen to them.

“It is not right, I wouldn’t like this to happen to someone in my family.”

Chris Green said that he did not agree that the professionals knew best in this case.

He said: “We need to start again and take this decision away.

“Develop the alternative with us, we are as capable as any member of the council.”

John Dempster, chairman of the ASSC who are responsible for the decision to close Dunmuir Park, confirmed that the committee will have further consultation and make a decision on whether or not to revoke the original decision.

He said: “I cannot revoke the decision here tonight.

“After the decision we will report back to the parent committee and make a decision about whether this is a matter that can be revoked.”

Fresh hope for Dunmuir hostel

Friday, April 28, 2006 - Galloway News (Visit Web Site)

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to keep a hostel for people with learning difficulties open have been given grounds for hope by a leading councillor.

Dumfries and Galloway Council agreed earlier this year to close Dunmuir Park Hostel, in Castle Douglas.

That decision was led by the then controlling alliance group councillors on the recommendation of senior council officials.

However, the running of the council is now in the hands of Labour, and this week its chairman of education and community services, Councillor Willie Scobie, said he would listen closely what the families and carers of Dunmuir Park’s six residents had to say.

“I’ve not got a closed mind on this,” he told the Standard. “We have to be able to provide a service that has the confidence of all those involved. Hopefully, we can come to some consensus on this.

“There is no point pushing forward with a policy if it turns out to be bad or cannot be enacted.”

Mr Scobie said he intends attending a meeting organised by Friends of Dunmuir Park (FDP), in the church hall in Castle Douglas, tonight. Councillors and council officials are expected to be hit with some hard questioning.

Increased pressure is being put on the council to justify the cost implications of its proposed closure of the hostel.

The local authority has pledged to find £13.5 million in savings within the next year, yet Dunmuir Park campaigners insist it will cost council taxpayers substantially if the facility is closed.

They say there is no justifiable reason, financial or otherwise, to shut it; the hostel has an excellent reputation for care and its six residents want to remain there. It also provides respite care and is invaluable in the event of emergencies.

Chris and Janet Green are welfare and financial attorneys for another Dunmuir resident, Donald Emmerson, who is aged 54 and has Down’s Syndrome.

Mr Green said: “The council wants to force the six residents into lonely, individual tenancies in new flats being built by Loreburn Housing Association on Merrick Road. This will cost council tax payers a lot more money in home care packages.

“It will require more carers than we can recruit.

“It will destroy vital emergency care capacity, and remove all development work and the halfway houses created by the Friends.

“Furthermore, this Alice in Wonderland situation created by council officers is not what residents, respite care service users and outreach residents want; not what their families and carers want; and not what the community wants; all involved wish to retain shared communal space.”

Mr Green said that a woman moved of Dunmuir Park last year now has a home care package costing in excess of £100,000 — compared to the £266,000 total costs for Dunmuir because it is centralised. It has capacity for two respite beds and nine residents.

He argued that the authority is paying dearly financially for its decision to close a Castle Douglas children’s home around six years ago, and seems in danger of repeating the mistake.

A council spokeswoman said: “The primary reason for moving forward with plans to close Dunmuir Park is to make sure that people with a learning disability have the same opportunities as everyone else, with the right care and support.

“ The building at Dunmuir is no longer suitable to provide a modern service in line with national and local policy and we are trying to meet best value in terms of providing care and support on a tenancy, rather than a residential, model.

“The council cannot discuss individuals’ care packages in a public forum. Actual costs will depend on an individual’s care needs.

“And while there is financial pressure, we do have to bear in mind that this is a service based on the needs of the individuals with a clear national policy steer about the expectations for people with a learning disability.”

Mr Green said: “We welcome Councillor Scobie and the new administration taking a fresh look at this. We asked the previous administration to look at this more deeply, but it chose not to.”

Open or shut case for Dunmuir Park

Friday, April 21, 2006 - Galloway News (Visit Web Site)

EVERYONE with an interest in the future of a Castle Douglas hostel is being urged to attend an open meeting on Wednesday.

The meeting to discuss proposals to close Dunmuir Park, a hostel for adults with learning difficulties, will be held in Castle Douglas Parish Church hall on Queen Street, starting at 7pm.

It will bring together, for the first time, councillors and council officials from social services as well as those affected by the decision including hostel residents and families who use its respite services.

The decision to close Dunmuir Park was taken by the Adult Services Sub-committee (ASSC) on February 2 this year. Councillors made their decision based on a report written by Judith Proctor, joint planning and commissioning manager, adults with a learning disability.

However, Friends of Dunmuir Park believe the report, and its recommendations to close the hostel, contained serious flaws. Chris Green said: “We believe the councillors on the ASSC have not been given the full facts about Dunmuir Park and the services it provides. This meeting gives the councillors a chance to hear all sides of the argument, something which is necessary before they can make a truly informed decision.”

Friends of Dunmuir Park say their campaign is not only on behalf of the remaining residents in Dunmuir Park. They say the hostel provides a complete ‘model of care’ including outreach services with Dunmuir Park as the central hub especially important to the 135 adult clients over 26 years. These include respite service users.

Chris said: “Many past residents have been successfully helped to develop skills and confidence in the halfway house set up by Friends of Dunmuir park. This development work, which will be destroyed, enabled them to benefit from individual tenancies, which is what they wanted. But they had the security of Dunmuir Park to fall back on, looking upon it as their ‘home’ base.

“For respite users it can take one or two years to establish confidence and trust to want to be left with friends, so that ‘it’s like going on holiday’, not left in a room in a flat in Merrick Road.”

The families hope the open meeting will lead to a recognition that ‘one size does not fit all’ when it comes to providing services for adults with learning difficultues.

They have also expressed the hope that councillors will accept there is a need to listen to and consult with everyoneone involved before making decions that affect people’s lives.

Friends of Dunmuir Park and families believe the ASSC have made three decisions based on misinformation. These decisions were the 2001 admission freeze or moratorium at Dunmuir Park, the Merrick Road respite unit that has no shared accommodation or staff base and the February 2006 decision to close Dunmuir Park based on the claim that ‘suitable alternative accommodation’ is available at Merrick Road.

Friends of Dunmuir Park hope everyone with an interest in Dunmuir Park will attend the meeting.

Families Contest Hostel Closure

Friday, April 21, 2006 - Galloway News (Visit Web Site)

A NEWBRIDGE couple have spoken of concerns for their 25-year-old son who has learning difficulties and faces being uprooted from his “home” of the past four years.

Robert Sproat is one of six residents at Dunmuir Park Hostel, in Castle Douglas, which Dumfries and Galloway Council intends closing.

The local authority wants to move the residents into their own flats, but that has prompted a furious reaction from parents, loved ones and legal guardians. They say Robert and the others are desperate to stay where they are.

Friends of Dunmuir Park (FDP) maintains there is no justifiable reason, financial or otherwise, for closing the highly-regarded hostel. Residents of Castle Douglas have signed a 3,000-strong petition for it to remain open.

Robert’s parents, Maurice and Mary Sproat, of Newbridge, by Dumfries, say he has been happy since moving there, of his own choice, four years ago.

Maurice, aged 61, said: “He began by going there for respite care once a month. It has worked out well for him. He is in his own lodge in the grounds but has 24-hour supervision.

“We know there is a view within councils that people like Robert are mollycoddled and could thrive with more freedom, but we know Robert and feel strongly he needs the kind of support and social interaction he gets at Dunmuir.

“I believe that applies to the other five residents too.

“In our son’s case, he is too trusting of others and has a tendency to wander off.”

Government policy is to see people like Robert fully integrated into the community — have their own front door, even if they still require social work supervision.

In Dumfries and Galloway, more than 300 people have been resettled into the community in recent years, and the authority says it has been with a success that has shown initial fears and doubts of loved ones and guardians to be unfounded.

However, Maurice and Mary have heard enough stories to suggest to them that Dunmuir Park is an invaluable safety net for vulnerable people. “Like the girl who came back because she was concerned about the recent heavy snow, and the person who also returned to the hostel because she was panicked by a power cut,” said Maurice.

Dumfries and Galloway councillors agreed in February that Dunmuir Park should close at the end of the year. They have suggested the residents could move into six two-bedroom flats being built by Loreburn Housing Association in Merrick Road, Castle Douglas. There would also be a respite unit with two wheelchair-accessible bedrooms and a standard bedroom.

Parents and FDP say the council has not consulted properly with the residents and ascertained what they really want.

Maurice said: “Robert doesn’t want to go anywhere else, he regards it as his home.

“Our argument is not about bricks and mortar. At Dunmuir there is a communal room where he can play scrabble, darts, dominoes and cards with the others.

“They get on great, they’re friends, they have a social life — all that would be lost in their own individual flats at Merrick Road where there’s no communal space.

“That connection with people at a similar level is very important to them.”

Robert’s 24-hour supervision would continue if he had his own flat.

However, that does not fill Maurice with confidence.

He said: “Robert has phoned us in the past and told us no-one was looking after him all day because his carer was off ill, but at least there were others around in Dunmuir Park to look out for him.

“Throughout this debate about the hostel’s future, we have been given no information directly from the council.”

Councillors have also been criticised for not visiting Dunmuir Park to fully understand the service it provides.

Chris and Janet Green are welfare and financial attorneys for another Dunmuir Park resident, Donald Emmerson, who is aged 54 and has Down’s Syndrome. Chris said: “Not one person from the social services department has contacted us, or Donald, to consult or discuss his future.”

Mr Green has lodged a formal complaint to Dumfries and Galloway Council chief executive, Phillip Jones, demanding an investigation into public statements made by a senior council official on the Dunmuir Park consultation process.

Willie Bell, FDP chairman, told the Standard: “The council should be praising the place, not closing it. Because of the halfway houses we established some years ago, many of the 135 adult clients in the past 26 years have gone back into the community. So to say there is a reluctance to let people go is far from the truth.

“Those who leave see Dunmuir Park as their home, a back-up, like others have their parents to go to in times of need.”

FDP has organised a meeting in the church hall in Castle Douglas next Wednesday when it hopes councillors and council officials will respond to an invitation to hear its members concerns about the closure plans.

Councillor Jane Maitland told the Standard this week: “It has been said that there has been no consultation with the occupants of Dunmuir Park and their family, but I don’t think that is the case.

“But I recognise there could be improvements in the communication between the council and the families.”

Following meetings organised by the FDP last month, Alasdair Morgan MSP said: “I think that it will be very important to make provision for some kind of communal area where service users can meet and socialise. Provision for this in the current plans is by no means clear.”

MP Russell Brown said: “The council’s adult services should be saying to the families and residents: ‘Here’s what we’ll provide, does it meet your needs and what else is required to meet those needs?’”

A council spokeswoman said that the local authority and NHS board had agreed as far back as 2001 on a programme of helping individuals to become tenants in their own homes with care support.

New Talks on Hostel

Thursday, March 30, 2006 - Galloway News (Visit Web Site)

ALL parties involved in the decision to close Dunmuir Park are finally going to sit down together to discuss the issues.

The move forward was agreed at a meeting on Monday called by Friends of Dunmuir Park to which they invited all councillors who sit on the Adult Services Sub-Committee (ASSC).

On February 2, the committee ratified recommendations to close Dunmuir Park in Castle Douglas.

Friends of Dunmuir Park had asked councillors to delay ratifiying the recommendations because of the flaws they believe are contained in a report from officials.

Four councillors accepted the Friends’ invitation to meet with them and concerned families. Andrew Campbell, Kathleen Davidson, Jane Maitland and Jock Purdie were joined by Russell Brown MP and Alasdair Morgan MSP.

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Friends of Dunmuir Park member Chris Green said after the meeting: “I think it was apparent that there was a huge discrepancy between what the councillors claimed the professionals had told them as compared to what the families are saying.

“Councillor Davidson, who was the only councillor to suggest that the ASSC delay ratifiying the report, indicated she felt a mistake had been made. She admitted she’d not been to Dunmuir Park and suggested a visit.

“The agreed action is a further meeting, which would include the professionals such as Rosemary Flexney (group manager adult services) and Fraser Sanderson (director of education and community services) so that everyone involved in the Dunmuir Park issue is sitting together in one room.”

The families are concerned that the new Loreburn development at Merrick Road will not provide a suitable alternative to Dunmuir Park. There will be one respite unit with two wheelchair accessible bedrooms and one standard bedroom. There will also be six two-bedroomed flats, for which the council’s social services can put forward tenants.

What is of concern to families is the lack of a communal space in which people can meet to socialise.

Over the years a number of former residents have moved into their own tenancies. Friends of Dunmuir Park treasurer John Love said: “There are a number of success stories that have been possible because of the excellent services provided by Dunmuir Park. For most ex-residents however Dunmuir Park remains an important part of their lives.

“I’ve been interested in engineering all my life and I’ve never seen a wheel that can work without a hub. That’s what they’re trying to do – take away the hub that provides the support people say they want.”

Following the meeting Alasdair Morgan MSP said: “I think that it will be very important to make provision for some kind of communal area where service users can meet and socialise. Provision for this in the current plans is by no means clear.

“There is a real need however, in my opinion, to make sure that this valuable source of social interaction remains available.”

The proposed closure of Dunmuir Park has prompted local people to voice their concerns and offer support to Friends of Dunmuir Park. Chris Green said: “Over 3000 people have signed a petition. We didn’t inititate it. It came about because so many people were stopping families in the street demanding to know what they were doing to save Dunmuir Park.

“Three thousand signatures is evidence of the amount of community support for Dunmuir Park. It is also evidence that the residents are already in and part of the community. We will be making this point at the meeting on Thursday when we will be asking for a line by line discussion of the recommendations to close Dunmuir Park.”

Following Monday’s meeting, Councillor Maitland commented: “The council must be sensitive to needs and recognise the genuine anxiety felt by some of those involved most closely that there may be a loss of family/community atmosphere. Much hard work has gone on elsewhere in the region to settle people successfully into their communities. Elected members expect nothing less for the people of the Stewartry.”

Russell Brown MP felt the meeting had been worthwhile. He said: “People are extremely anxious about this issue and there were a number of burning questions put to the councillors. I hope the next meeting will be arranged as soon as possible. Adult services should be saying to the families and residents ‘here’s what we’ll provide, does it meet your needs and what else is required to meet those needs?’”

Alisdair Morgan said: “I am glad that, after listening to the heartfelt pleas of those present, the councillors have undertaken to refer the issue back to council officials so that we can get clarification on what exactly is planned for Dunmuir Park.”

Chris Green commented: “I welcome the opportunity to have everyone sit together to iron out the discrepancies in what is being said by councillors and officials.

“However, there really shouldn’t have been any need to do this. People don’t seem to consider what this is doing to the families and residents. We’ve had tears and mental distress all round.”

Chris and his wife Janet are welfare and financial attorneys for Donald Emmerson who lives in Dunmuir Park. Chris said: “Since this business started not one person from the social services department has contacted us – or Donald – to consult or discuss Donald’s future.”

Public need assurances over Dunmuir Park services says Morgan

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - Alasdair Morgan MSP (Website) (Visit Web Site)

Alasdair Morgan, MSP for the South of Scotland, today (Tuesday) called on Dumfries & Galloway Council to provide assurances over the future of services currently provided at Dunmuir Park, following a meeting involving supporters of the facility, relatives of its users and local politicians in Castle Douglas yesterday.

Mr Morgan said:

‘It was clear from the comments made at the meeting that those who use Dunmuir Park and their relatives and carers have a different picture of what is going to happen to the facility and the services it currently provides than the councillors who were present.’

‘I am glad that, after listening to the heartfelt pleas of those present, the councillors have undertaken to refer the issue back to Council officials so that we can get clarification on what exactly is planned for Dunmuir Park.’

‘It is essential that the outcome of this process is to ensure that the services envisaged for the future are of the same high quality as those which the users of Dunmuir Park currently enjoy.’

‘In particular, I think that it will be very important to make provision for some kind of communal area where service users can meet and socialise. Provision for this in the current plans is by no means clear. There is a real need however, in my opinion, to make sure that this valuable source of social interaction remains available.’

‘Perhaps most importantly, the Council must ensure that the provision of quality supervised respite care is maintained. The value of this service to the families and carers of people with learning difficulties cannot be underestimated, and there can be no doubt that, were this service not available, many would find it almost impossible to cope with their very demanding responsibilities.’

Friends who care over closure threat

Friday, July 29, 2005 – Galloway News     (Visit Web Site)

SOCIAL services bosses are being urged to be “open and honest” over the potential closure of a residential home for adults with learning disabilities.

The Friends of Dunmuir Park group claim Dumfries and Galloway Council are trying to close the Castle Douglas home by stealth – and force everybody with learning disabilities to live on their own with support.

The council say they have no plans to close the facility – but the Friends claim the moratorium on new admissions is an indication of their intention to close it.

The group hold up Dunmuir Park – which recently celebrated its 25th birthday – as an ideal model for care and support and said its closure would:

• take away a facility meeting a real need;
• lead to people not able to live independently being moved into their own tenancies; and
• cause loneliness and isolation for some of the region’s most vulnerable people.

Parents and friends are also worried that there is no real choice on offer and uncertain about the future level of care provision in the community.

The Friends say Dunmuir Park provides respite care where people have a continuity of established relationships, a caring environment where residents are supported by each other and staff and an outreach service.

The Friends, supported by MP Russell Brown and MSP Alex Fergusson, are now calling for the moratorium to be lifted and bosses to be honest about their intentions.

Chris Green, from Palnackie, said: “We are struggling with uncertainty because there appears to be a determination to close Dunmuir Park.”

He continued: “The brilliance of the Dunmuir Park model is that 135 people have been helped. One hundred and thirty five people have benefited from that model of care. The majority of them are now living, with support, in the community but some aren’t capable of doing that. It is also a brilliant environment for people who want to live communally and there is a brilliant team of people working there – the care is first-class.”

Philip McCann, team manager for residential and home support services with the learning disability service, said no decision had been made about Dunmuir Park, although the council had agreed in 2001 that services provided there would be re-provided in the community.

He said: “As well as working with Loreburn Housing Association to agree some new provision in their development on Merrick Road in Castle Douglas, we continue to work with a wide range of housing and support providers to ensure that individuals get a choice of housing and support in the community. Nothing further will be agreed about Dunmuir Park until this work comes to a successful conclusion for the individuals who live there.”

Friends met with bosses last Thursday but said afterwards that they were no further forward.

Shirley Prahms said: “Policies have changed within the council since Dunmuir Park was originally established but what is still consistent is the quality of care and the community aspect of the care that Dunmuir Park provides.”

She continued: “Where will they go if these single tenancies don’t work out?”

Isobel Miller, the parent of a 16-year-old resident, said: “The care providers tell us that we have to have a choice in the kind of care we want for our young adults because they all have different needs. As my child is disabled, my choice is community living where she can mix with her peers.”

Mr McCann said this week: “The council and NHS Dumfries and Galloway are working together to deliver changes agreed back in 2001 that meet the Scottish Executive’s policy set out in the document ‘The Same As You?’. This policy requires Learning Disability Services to provide local services that support people to access a range of leisure, recreational, employment and supported living opportunities with the rights of full citizenship enjoyed by the rest of the population.”

But the Friends feel that the ‘Same As You?’ policy was aimed at ensuring people with learning disabilities weren’t cared for long-term in hospitals or big institutions and said the policy recognises that nursing home or residential care was appropriate for some people.

Mr McCann also said: “We will continue to involve service users, their families and carers in this continuing process. We have reached the position where there are four residents now in Dunmuir Park and the bulk of the work of the staff is supporting people in single or shared tenancies, many of whom used to live in the hostel.”

He added: “There are a range of options for residents, which include individual tenancies or shared housing. Either way we endeavour to meet the needs and requirements of each individual at Dunmuir Park.”

Dumfries and Galloway MP Russell Brown, who was at last Thursday’s meeting, said he would be looking for clarification from the council and said: “What we need is social services to really declare their hand and be open with people.”
Mr Brown said people were happy with Dunmuir Park and they needed to know all the details if closure was a possibility. “The argument needs to be made about what they will replace Dunmuir Park with,” he said.

Galloway and Upper Nithsdale MSP Alex Fergusson said he had been approached by concerned relatives and was seeking clarification of Scottish Executive policy. He has also asked the council why there is a moratorium on new admissions at Dunmuir Park.

He said: “There will be a lot of people who would much rather be in the group or community setting that Dunmuir Park provides. The concerns raised with me were totally genuine and completely heartfelt.”

Morgan visits closure-threatened Dunmuir Park – Residents views must be respected

Monday, April 01, 2002 – Alasdair Morgan MSP (Website) (Visit Web Site)

Today [Monday], Galloway & Upper Nithsdale SNP MSP, Alasdair Morgan, visited the closure threatened Dunmuir Park Hostel in Castle Douglas, which is home to local people with learning disabilities. Mr Morgan met with the Dunmuir Park residents, most of whom are concerned at the possibility of having to move because of the proposed closure.

Speaking after his visit Mr Morgan said:

“I was pleased to get a chance to meet with the residents and to hear their concerns. In particular the element of uncertainty is causing the residents concern and I feel that the sooner the council comes to a final decision on this situation the better.”

“It is obvious that the residents consider Dunmuir Park as their home and are very concerned about having to move out of what is a friendly caring and safe environment.”

“I appreciate that the council are trying to follow what they consider to be good practice in letting the residents have their own tenancies, however, it is the communal and community aspect of Dunmuir Park which is a large part of its success and I fear that this could be lost under the council proposals.”

“For those with learning difficulties the atmosphere which exists at Dunmuir Park has proved to be very beneficial and it is clear that the residents feel the community aspect of Dunmuir Park to be a major part of their lives.”

“I am hoping to be able to meet with the council in the near future to discuss this matter and I will be stressing that the views of the Dunmuir Park residents must be central to the future of their care and support and should be respected.”