Users of a Moray respite centre destined for closure have hit out after only learning of the move in the Press & Journal.
A total of 19 families use residential and day services at the Doocot View learning disability centre for vital support.
However, now the council-owned facility in Buckie is expected to close in March next year after a decision taken by Health and Social Care Moray to save more than £300,000.
Last night, one Buckie father, whose disabled child attends the centre, said the “despicable” lack of consultation had left the family wracked with stress over Christmas.
He said: “My child read that it was closing on social media and told us. We weren’t sure about it until we read it in the paper the next day.
“They are playing with people’s lives here. It’s going to have a major impact on us, and we’ve been told nothing.
“They say it’s to offer more ‘personalised’ care – why would I want to send my child to Elgin or Lhanbryde when there’s a perfectly good facility in Buckie?
“At the moment they get taken into the town for shopping, everyone knows them and they stop and chat. They love it, now all that could get taken away.”
A report from Health and Social Care Moray revealed that Doocot View was currently running at 28% occupancy and there was enough room for affected families to be accommodated at Birchview in Elgin.
A consultation was run by the council ahead of a decision in November 2014 to keep the Buckie centre open. It is understood that no new consultation with users has been done since.
Yesterday, Buckie councillor Sonya Warren explained she had already been in touch with management about concerns from users of the facility.
She said: “I’m very concerned about the lack of discussion that there’s been here. These are some of the most vulnerable people in our community and they should be at the centre of any decision.
“It’s all the more concerning that they have had to go over the whole festive period without knowing what is going to happen after it shuts in March.”
Health and Social Care Moray confirmed the closure of Doocot View and Taigh Farrais in Forres at its meeting on December 14.
Letters to affected families were received at the end of last week in the run-up to Christmas.
The contract for the centre, which is run by Cornerstone, is due to expire at the end of March.
In a report ahead of the meeting, senior commissioning officer Pauline Knox stressed Birchview in Elgin is “fully accessible” for those with mobility issues – but individuals would be able to make their own choice about alternative facilities.
She added: “There has been a consistent over-funding of accommodated respite within learning disability services for several years and there are not sufficient eligible individuals to utilise the amount available.
“The majority, if not all of those respite nights used at Doocot View, could be delivered in Birchview.”