D-day for residents and staff at McClymont House Care Home in Lanark

McClymont House is under a risk of closure

And they’ve been buoyed by support in the form of an open letter from SNP elected representatives and candidates for Clydesdale.

A campaign group spokeswoman said: “We know we've been quiet for a bit but we've finally go the news we've been campaigning for. On March 15, the Consultation Report on the closure of McClymont House in Lanark was released, revealing a resounding "no" from the rural Clydesdale community regarding the closure of the home.

"Despite this clear feedback, the Final Agenda Pack, specifically on Page 59, includes recommendations to close McClymont House.

“Families and residents of McClymont House are profoundly dismayed by the recommendations put forward by Soumen Sengupta, Director of Health and Social Care for South Lanarkshire. Despite overwhelming community opposition expressed during the consultation, we believe the decision to close the home appears to have been made as early as September 2023.

“We believe that the consultation process was merely a box-ticking exercise and question the validity of the decision-making process. We believe there’s been poor budgeting, lack of transparency, and a lack of compassion towards residents and staff. We believe that McClymont House residents are being treated as collateral damage in an effort to address budget deficits.

“Alarmingly, the recommendations include a 7-month timeline for closure, contradicting previous assurances given to families that there would be no timings imposed. Additionally, despite repeated requests, the families have been denied access to the Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA), raising further concerns about the fairness and transparency of the process.”

The IJB will vote on the closure as we go to press and if agreed this closure represents a significant loss for the local Clydesdale community, prompting fears about the future of essential services in the area. The families express deep reservations about the independence of the process.

SNP elected representatives and candidates for Clydesdale have today written an open letter to members of the South Lanarkshire Integrated Joint Board (IJB), calling on them and the Labour-led South Lanarkshire Council, to retain the McClymont House care home in Lanark.

Meanwhile the letter of support is signed by: Máiri McAllan MSP for Clydesdale; Councillor Julia Marrs, for Clydesdale North ward; Councillor David Shearer, for Clydesdale West ward; Councillor Ian McAllan, for Clydesdale East ward; Councillor Ross Clark, as SNP candidate for Hamilton & Clyde Valley.

The South Lanarkshire IJB met as we went to press, where it was expected that a decision on the future of McClymont House would be taken. This follows the completion of the public consultation, which found overwhelming opposition to any proposed closure.

The signatories have stood opposed to closure from the beginning, and have supported the efforts made by the campaign group Save McClymont House.

The text of the open letter reads: “We write in our respective capacities as local SNP elected representatives and candidates for Clydesdale, to voice our opposition once again to the proposed closure of McClymont House Care Home in Lanark.

“As you will be aware, the recent public consultation on the proposal, found significant and overwhelming evidence of support for keeping open what is the last remaining publicly-run care home in Clydesdale. It is incumbent now that the responses from this consultation inform the deliberations and decisions which the IJB will be taking soon.

“There is clear public concern that the IJB intends to steamroll through closure, despite the outcome of the consultation report. As public representatives, it is our responsibility to represent the people who elect us; and it is their interests which are paramount. We cannot ignore such an emphatic response from the public.

“Nor would it be acceptable to close what is the last facility left of its kind in the whole of Clydesdale. The families of residents at McClymont House have made their case eloquently, and we remain firmly on their side in arguing for the IJB and the Labour-led South Lanarkshire Council to reconsider their options going forward, before taking such a consequential decision for our constituents.

“We will continue to speak up for Clydesdale and defend our much valued public services. McClymont House should be kept open; and we call on the IJB to support its retention.”