Crunch council meeting to be held to consider future of St Margaret of Scotland Hospice

West Dunbartonshire Council will meet in an emergency session to try to head off possible means testing for 30 hospital care beds at the hospice.

The hospice has called supporters to Clydebank Town Hall tonight to back them against the “crisis”, caused by its unique nature and funding power being moved from the NHS to the Integrated Joint Board (IJB), the West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).

The meeting was called on a motion by Councillor Denis Agnew calling for the IJB, who could impose means testing, to punt funding power back to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Cllr Agnew is backed by the SNP and Community Party members, while a separate Labour motion calls for a working group on the subject.

Provost Douglas McAllister said last week he expected all members to back St Margaret’s.

Cllr Marie McNair said: “We need to put politics aside and unite as a council to protect the long-term future and history of our hospice.

“Charging patients for care would change the whole ethos of hospice.

“Our most vulnerable should not be means tested at any time, and certainly never at their time of greatest need.”

Council leader Martin Rooney said it was worrying that responsibility for the hospice was being passed to the HSCP, “pressure financially requiring additional financial support from the council this year”.

He added: “I find it staggering that the hospice could be put at risk, not because funding is being cut, but by policy changes that undermine the charity status of the hospice.”

But fellow West Dunbartonshire Councillor Jim Bollan, who represents the Community Party, accused the council leader of “breathtaking hypocrisy” for the stance he’s taken.

Cllr Bollan said: “Cllr Rooney, along with all other Labour councillors on WDC, voted a couple of years ago to introduce means testing for care of the elderly in our own residential care homes.

“This has and continues to result in frail elderly constituents having to sell their family home to pay for their ongoing care.”

But the council leader hit back at the claims of Cllr Bollan, saying: “The Scottish Government decision to withdraw free NHS continuing care needs beds means that residents in St Margaret’s Hospice care could be subject to means testing.

“And the hospice believes this will undermine their charitable trust status.

“Therefore Labour councillors will be supporting the hospice stance and will reject moves to place the hospice under the Health & Social Care Partnership.”

Asked why the NHS moved funding of the hospice to the IJB and what they would do if the council objected, a spokeswoman for the NHS said: “St Margaret’s Hospice provides hospice care and care for older people which, under the legislation which established Health and Social Care Partnerships, and the abolition of NHS continuing care, became the responsibility of the Integrated Joint Board (IJB).

“The IJB brings together the NHS and local council.”