Proposals for a new community owned care home on Cumbrae to prevent the heartbreak of couples and families having to separate have been given backing by Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson.

Earlier this year, North Ayrshire Council, The Big Lottery and Hunterston put £15,000 behind the feasibility project, and following a public meeting conduced by the Millport Elderly Forum and consultation, a feasibility study has recently been completed.

Bringing a community controlled care home facility to Cumbrae had been the long term aim of the forum, which was launched in 2006 following the closure of Craig-en-Ros Care Home.

Indeed, the feasibility study states that 'the ongoing tragedies caused through separation of families between island and mainland to achieve appropriate progressive care' has been the driving force behind creating a community care home with nursing on the island.

Since 2006, there is a total of 93 residents entered care, or where transferred from the existing care home on Cumbrae to mainland care homes.

And Jane Kerr Projects and McMillan & Cronin have been working with the Elderly Forum on this feasibility study

Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson commented: “To pursue this important matter I plan to meet up with Iona Colvin, Director to see if they’d be interested in working in partnership with the community.

“This idea could be quite innovative and potentially both save NHS operating costs on Lady Margaret Hospital on the island whilst at the same time address a real issue on the island; the lack of care home provision.

“The SNP Government is keen to see any ideas that help address the increasing costs to the NHS of our rapidly ageing population and similar ideas have been successfully implemented in other island communities.

“The concept of combining services which helps also helps address the needs of a ‘fragile economy’ with an older population such as Millport’s, is certainly worth taking forward.”

The feasibility study reveals that on Cumbrae, the average age of the population of Millport is 50.9 years, with 40% of the population of Cumbrae over 60 years of age.

Following local consultation, the community was less interested in simply the provision of a care home and more supportive of a ‘community care hub’ with a ‘community house’ as a central feature of the hub.

The developing concept was one of a community building, providing care, medical and social advice, hobbies, physical activity and above all company and friendship to all members of the elderly community, with a care house as a core element, where those requiring care were surrounded by friends and family.

Various options are proposed in the feasibility study including a 10, and 20 bed community hub with ‘outreach’ services, and a 30 bed community hub with outreach and inreach services.

Another option proposed is to attract a private sector or trust care home operator. During the research involved in the feasibility study, two potential trust operators identified themselves as having a possible interest in developing a care home on the island.

The feasibility study concluded: " The average number of people requiring residential care (2006-2016) would tend to support the development of a 10-bedroom Care Home

with the potential for further development."