A FULL review of adult respite care in Inverclyde is to be carried out amid plans to make the closure of the Hillend unit in Greenock permanent.

The Tele reported last September how the centre was set to shut down for good, having been mothballed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Up until that point it had provided vital care for vulnerable adults, including the elderly and those with learning disabilities.

Last year it was revealed officials had said it would cost £329,000 to reopen it and that there was 'no longer a significant demand for the centre'.

But the Telegraph had previously reported in January 2020 - two months before lockdown happened - that the unit was already under threat of closure and on a budget cuts hit-list.

At that time leaders from the public sector union Unison warned of the impact this would have on families and there were concerns that Inverclyde Council would instead end up funding private care home places.

Now a comprehensive 'service redesign' shake-up is moving ahead.

Bosses say it aims to put a new 'robust, modern and high-quality person-led' set-up in place, promising a 'vision and action plan'.

The health and social care partnership paused adult respite – both short breaks and longer periods – during the pandemic.

A report to councillors on the social work and social care scrutiny panel states that there is now an opportunity, as services re-establish, to review how the HSCP delivers respite.

The paper says: 'This review will consider these areas for development as part of the overall plan for Inverclyde’s respite of the future.

'It is proposed the Hillend Respite Unit remains closed, as any potential impact has been minimised over the last three years for both service users and employees.'

Bosses say that they will be in contact with families who used the service to discuss alternatives with them.

The report said: 'We will undertake a further detailed consultation post-Covid closure with all remaining users and carers who utilised the service pre-Covid to discuss any impact of the closure of Hillend on a permanent basis and to consult on the availability of alternative respite option provision.

'The service will also review all service users of respite and ensure alternative respite option provision is in place in the event of the decommissioning of the service after consultation with users of the service and carers.'

The respite revamp plans will be discussed at a meeting of the social work and social care scrutiny panel on Tuesday January 16.