Kilmaurs ASN mum slams 'shameful' council over support cut plans

An ‘angry’ Kilmaurs mum has branded East Ayrshire Council as ‘shameful’ over potential cuts to a care support service she insists is vital for the health of her son.

Gemma Blelloch’s son Reece lives with the rare metabolic condition Proprionic Acidemia, a disorder affecting one in 100,000 births in the UK.

Reece is tube fed and requires round the clock care from Gemma, with the mum currently helped when Reece is looked after by support carers just 48 hours every month.

Gemma sees those two days as her chance to recharge her batteries but fears her respite is now set to be taken away amid news the local authority is reviewing the children’s self-directed support budget - with cuts on the horizon.

Speaking to Clyde 1 Ayrshire, the frustrated full-time carer admits any cuts could have a devastating impact.

Gemma said: “These carers are pretty much like our families.

“My son is tube fed, on a pump overnight, and on a specialist feed, and they are the only other people in my life, that can do they feeds and look after his pump at night.

“If they take that away from me, you know, I was up with that pump three times last night, so when he goes to the carers, it allows me time to recharge my batteries so that when he comes back, I am ready to deal with it again.”

Gemma and friend Leoni Graham are both part of Friends of Willowbank, a charity run by family members of current and former pupils of Willowbank School, a specialist school for children with additional support needs.

Leoni has started a petition urging East Ayrshire to scrap any planned cuts for the coming year, saying the services are ‘essential’ for hundreds of families in the region.

But what’s really troubled Gemma, she claims, is nobody, not a family member or former pupil connected to Willowbank was consulted on the planned cutbacks before the review was announced.

“The thing that has really angered me is that the council have consulted with other groups regarding these systematic reviews,” she continued.

“But not one single parent from Willowbank was afforded the same respect.

“So, we are now only finding out about these budgets when the reviews for our children have come up.”

A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council said: “East Ayrshire Council’s Integration Joint Board agreed last summer to change the eligibility criteria for accessing services.

“This affects new cases but also needs to be the framework for all reviews to be considered against.

“Every case will be considered individually against the policy and there will be no blanket reduction of supports.

“The new criteria is intended to allow our limited resources to be prioritised and targeted to where there is greatest need.

“As cases are reviewed, the professional decision makers will engage with service users and their families / carers. “

Gemma finished: “To lose the carers will be catastrophic for me, and a massive impact for every other family who is going to lose these as well.

“We rely really heavily on these services and for them to not even give us the heads up, it’s shameful.”

As part of the cuts, Gemma and Leoni say an added worry is a bid to cut adult services to ASN children transitioning from young care to adult provision.

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