Bield, one of Scotland’s leading providers of care, has celebrated the achievements of the last year and showcased a bold and ambitious five year Business Strategy at its AGM.
Highlighting the major challenges of looking after the increasing demands of the nation’s ageing population, Brian Logan, Chief Executive, says the charity is taking the lead in revolutionising the way Scotland’s older people are cared for.
He also stressed that huge changes within the sector and tough budget restraints are making for challenging times.
The five year Business Strategy (2013 – 2018) sets out the charity’s commitment to developing innovative services that will enhance the lives of Scotland’s older people both now and in the future.
But major changes in Government funding – and a growing elderly population – place the sector under huge pressure.
Mr Logan said: “Right now we face bigger challenges than ever before – reducing income against greater demand for services. There is no doubt we are working in difficult times. There is less funding available to the meet the needs of an increasing ageing population.
“But our core values remain – for more than 40 years we have been delivering high quality services to help improve the lives of Scotland’s older people. We want to give them choice about how they live their lives and enable them to remain independent for as long as possible.
“We tackle challenges positively and proactively. We are in a strong and healthy position and we are equipping ourselves with the tools to continue to grow, develop and move forward.
“We envisage a Scotland where people of all ages are respected, can make their own choices, and are able to live independent and fulfilling lives. And we can do this through offering a diverse range of housing, care and other services.”
Through a number of ambitious projects, Bield are demonstrating they are leading the way in the sector.
Taking the lead Bield is:
– Responding to Government cuts in housing funding by remodelling its sheltered housing to a new retirement housing service, alongside an innovative new daily contact service ‘Sure Call’
– Launching a Tenancy Sustainment Service with welfare advice and community engagement ensuring older people are not socially isolated
– Growing its Care business following successful pilots of ‘Bield at Home’, a tailored service that enables tenants and older people living nearby to buy as much or as little home care as they need
– Developing an innovative Housing with Care model, as an alternative to care homes, that will highlight to local authorities a more efficient and effective way of delivering personalised care and support to those most in need.
– Reviewing and developing a Care Home strategy that will examine existing provision and look at possible models for future growth.
The new strategy builds on the strong foundations of its well-established business strategy, Bielding the Future, which now provides a bedrock for the current pace of change.
Mr Logan added: “Bield today is, in many ways, very different from Bield two years ago when we launched Bielding the Future. However our core values and the commitment and passion of our board and staff to providing the best possible services to Scotland’s older people is undiminished.”
Bield is a registered charity which grew from humble beginnings, starting out with one housing development in Bo’ness to become a major of a wide range of housing and services for around 20,000 older people across 22 local authority areas.
