Exclusive:Scottish quadriplegic teacher to have overnight care axed due to budget cuts
Charles McGarvey says cuts mean lifeline care services are being destroyed.
A Scottish teacher who was left quadriplegic after a fall on holiday is set to have his overnight care axed due to budget cuts.
Charles McGarvey, 71, from Renton, currently has carers coming in four times a day to support him. He then also gets a visit from the ‘turning team’ in the middle of the night.
However, these overnight visits will end in March, leaving Mr McGarvey unable to move for 12 hours which he says will lead to pain, marks and poor sleep.
Speaking to The Scotsman, he said: “I was an English teacher for 42 years and I paid a lot of money in tax but now that I am looking to get something back there are cuts and it is taken away from you.
“West Dunbartonshire Home Care says it is going through a review of the services it provides, but it is not a review, it is the destruction of something that was working well.”
He said the loss of his trusted carers is “like a bereavement process” and said the past few weeks have been a “hellish experience”.
In 2018 Mr McGarvey fell while on holiday in Gran Canaria for his wife’s birthday. The fall left him with a broken neck and he had to stay in hospital on the Spanish island for two weeks.
Since becoming quadriplegic he has had to have his home adapted and relies on round-the-clock care.
He is still able to spend his weekends as a scout for Celtic FC, but fears this may become a thing of the past if he cannot get the level of care he currently receives.
Mr McGarvey added: “West Dunbartonshire needs to save money and they are doing it by destroying what is an excellent service.
“The carers put me to bed at 9pm and then at around 3am I get turned, but they are doing away with the turning team.
“My social workers say I had agreed to this, but that is nonsense. They are trying to fix something that isn’t broken.
“I am still compos mentis and my daughter is a lawyer and very helpful with writing things for me, but there are a lot of vulnerable people who are not able to speak out and probably don’t even know what is going on.
“I am going to end up with my backside being marked and not sleeping right.
“Anyone else is able to move around in their sleep - you cannot lie in one position for 12 hours.”
Dame Jackie Baillie, the MSP for Dumbarton, said: “Sadly, since his accident, Mr McGarvey’s care needs haven’t changed. What has changed is the relentless drive for cost-cutting in social care.
“It’s a crisis that has been a long time coming - and it is one of the SNP government’s making.”
She added: “There is a window of opportunity to get ahead of this crisis.
“The Scottish Government should stop treating health and social care partnerships as piggy banks and start helping them deliver.”
Dame Jackie is due to lead a Scottish Labour debate in Holyrood this afternoon on the funding for social care.
A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire health and social care partnership said: “Like all health and social care partnerships, we face challenging financial circumstances and, as part of steps taken to redesign services, a decision was made in 2023 to remove overnight care at home.
“We recognise change can be unsettling and we are supporting our service users, including Mr McGarvey, throughout this transition to ensure their needs continue to be met.
“Mr McGarvey’s current care arrangements remain in place and will continue to offer guidance on suitable alternative overnight solutions or care provision.”
The health and social care partnership said a letter was sent to all service users in February to tell them about the overnight care being cut, and said they have suggested alternatives to Mr McGarvey including “use of a specialist mattress or employment of an external care provider”.
Social Care Minister Tom Arthur said: “It is vital that people like Mr McGarvey are able to access the care they need, and we expect the local health and social care partnership to ensure this is delivered.
“We meet regularly with social care leaders to discuss the sector’s challenges and we want to ensure they are supported to deliver timely, high-quality care.
“In 2025/26, West Dunbartonshire Council will receive £259 million to support day-to-day services, which equates to an extra £14.1m or an additional 5.8 per cent compared to 2024/25.
“The sector hasn’t been helped by the UK Government’s increasingly restrictive migration policies and increases to employers’ National Insurance contributions, estimated to cost £84m.
“We will continue to do all we can to push the UK Government to reverse these damaging changes.”
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