Staff at a Fife care home have been praised by their local MP who complimented them on their hard work during an “unprecedented time”.
Peter Grant, MP for Glenrothes and Central Fife, wrote to Balhousie Forth View care home in Methil to congratulate them for their commitment during the Coronavirus Crisis and to acknowledge the “difficult choices” key workers have faced.
In a letter to the home, Mr Grant said: “I wanted to write to you with my personal thanks for everything you have done to support those living in your care homes during this unprecedented time, to keep your residents as safe as possible.
“I appreciate many key workers have had to juggle childcare, that many may have faced difficult choices in relation to the risks to their own health and have been supporting their own families, friends and neighbours throughout this time. Despite this, you have continued to make sure residents are looked after throughout this time in the most difficult of circumstances. Thank you for working so hard to keep your residents safe.”
Ann Poulton, Home Manager at the 55-bedroom Balhousie Forth View, which provides residential, nursing and respite care, said: “Our staff have been working extremely hard these last few months to make sure life is as close to normal as it can be for residents. They’ve gone all-out to provide extra activities and made sure they kept up communication with relatives through video and phone calls – and all of this with the extra pressures on families and daily life that the countrywide lockdown has meant. I’m incredibly proud of our ‘Everyday Heroes’ as we continue to adjust to the ‘new normal’ of life in care homes.”
Mr Grant’s letter is just one of many notes, emails and calls of support to Balhousie Care Group’s 26 care facilities praising staff’s hard work during the Coronavirus Crisis. A spokesperson for the group said: “We have been inundated with thank-you’s for our Everyday Heroes and the work they continue to do to keep residents safe, healthy and happy. As we prepare to open our homes once again to visitors, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has written to us for their kind words at what has been and remains a challenging period for everyone.”
Balhousie Care Group, which has 26 care facilities mostly concentrated in the north-east of Scotland, is re-opening its care homes in phases from this week. In accordance with Scottish Government guidelines, the first visits will take place in garden areas.
