Council makes reopening Springboard a priority
Friday, June 16 2006
Scottish Borders Council is continuing to make concerted efforts to reopen the Springboard mental health project in Hawick.
Senior managers from SBC's Department of Social Work met service users of the project last week to hear their concerns and outline reopening plans.
The Council was obliged to close the project temporarily on 12 May, due to severe staffing shortages. Since then, SBC has set up a recruitment drive for specialist staff with the training and experience suitable for a complex, sensitive project of this kind.
"We are making every effort with health colleagues to deploy staff to reopen Springboard at the earliest opportunity," confirmed Frank McKie, SBC's Interim Head of Social Care and Health. "We know how much this project is valued by the people who use it and by their families, and we do not want it to remain closed for any longer than is absolutely necessary. We were very reluctant to close the centre last month. The decision was determined by the unforeseen sick leave of the manager and the loss of the other full-time member of staff. It was made for safety reasons. I wish to stress that the closure was a temporary measure to enable us to find alternative staff solutions."
He added, "Last week's meeting gave us the opportunity to explain to Springboard users the difficulties of replacing specialist
staff at very short notice. The meeting was well attended, and we hope that we will soon be able to reopen and welcome people
back to Springboard."
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