MSP launches petition in a bid to help tackle loneliness among those receiving care in the Highlands
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Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain has launched an online petition as part of his Time to Talk campaign aimed at tackling loneliness among those visited by care workers in the north.
He launched the initiative amid his concern for those receiving personal care across the region in what is a bid to reduce their feelings of isolation which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 lockdown.
To do this the MSP hopes to persuade NHS Highland to change how it delivers care-at-home packages to ensure that personal care is “less functional and more person-centred.”
The campaign has the three following aims:
- Combat loneliness of those receiving personal care-at-home
- Change how NHS Highland commissions care-at-home packages
- Extend care beyond purely physical needs to include wellbeing
The petition, which will be sent to NHS Highland, reads: “We believe that it is time to improve care-at-home provision to combat feelings of loneliness felt by those receiving personal care.
“We call on NHS Highland to enhance how it commissions care-at-home packages and to expand care beyond purely physical needs, so that it also includes wellbeing too.”
Mr Mountain said: “I would encourage everyone to sign my online petition, which can be found on my website and calls on NHS Highland to enhance care-at-home.
“Loneliness and isolation have been huge problems during the pandemic for those receiving care-at-home.
“This problem has not been made any easier by NHS Highland’s current commissioning practice, which is known as time and task.
“The time and task model means care is delivered in very short time slots – sometimes only twenty minutes – which gives carers time to meet their physical health needs of their clients, but little time to talk.
“We need to see a move towards a more personable approach, where carers have more time to talk and, therefore, can help to reduce the isolation of those they look after.”
Click here if you want to see or sign the petition
