Families 'left in the dark' over council plan to axe day care centres

Families of people with dementia say they have been "left in the dark" after Glasgow City Council agreed to close more than half of its senior day care centres.

The local authority is cutting the number of centres - which provide care, support and activities for dementia sufferers and others with serious health issues - from 10 to four in a bid to save money.

Relatives of those who use the services fear staff at the remaining centres will be overwhelmed and that care could suffer as a result.

The council says the services are running below capacity and that it will ensure the needs of users will inform the final shape of the service.

Jamie-Lee McCreadie's mum Ann, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2024, attends the Focal Point clinic in Drumchapel twice a week.

Jamie-Lee said the service had been a tremendous help for her family as they care for her mum, who is herself a former care worker, at home.

"Focal Point gives us a chance to catch our breath and then recharge – without it I think I would burn out," she said.

"We are trying to keep my mum at home as long as possible, but we need places like Focal Point.

"They give my mum a safe, calm environment, they offer company - and more importantly this still gives them their dignity while they are there."

Jamie-Lee said the closure plan was confirmed by the council just three weeks after they were first told about the proposal in September.

"We are massively in the dark over what centres are closing, what will be put in place, and what the next step will be," she said.

"I don't know how we are meant to get our points across about this. We have so many questions. Are there going to be 100 people now in one building instead of 20?

"Every person at these centres deserves respect and attention, and can they get that if the numbers are much greater?"

The closures are part of the Step Forward programme, which aims to save the city's Health and Social Care Partnership £20m by April 2027.

It forecasts that going from 10 centres to four hubs will save the arms-length council body £2m.

The programme also recommended combining two specialist services which support drug users in the city.

The plans have been criticised by the Alzheimer's Scotland charity and trade unions.

Alzheimer's Scotland said centres like Focal Point provided social benefits for users and respite for their carers and family members.

Jim Pearson, the charity's deputy chief executive, said it recognised the council faced financial pressures, but there were "potentially serious consequences" to the current plan.

He said: "We are concerned that the decision to cut day care provision represents a false economy and that it will ultimately increase pressure on the wider health and social care system."

The charity also warned it could force people to go into care homes earlier.

However, Glasgow City Council says ongoing financial pressures mean that the current system cannot continue.

A meeting of the city's integration joint board (IJB) in September heard that the current use of the centres did not represent "best value".

A report said there was a capacity of 1,500 places across all the 10 sites, but that the centres had been used by 661 people in May 2026.

It recommended moving towards a "more progressive" community hub model which would have a capacity of 600 across the four sites.

It said the majority of users only attended once or twice a week, so it was unlikely they would be full at any point.

The report acknowledged that most people would need to go to a different building to the one they currently use, and that travel patterns would change.

That is a concern for Jamie-Lee, who says a change of routine is not advised for people with dementia because it can makes them "agitated and more confused".

A spokeswoman for the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership said the financial situation meant that doing nothing was not an option.

She said the older people day care service had been operating at about 50% of its capacity for several years.

"Now the proposals have been approved by the Integrated Joint Board, we will engage with service users - and their carers – to ensure their needs inform the final shape of the revised service," she added.

Jamie-Lee says her fears will remain until there is greater clarity on the new structure.

"She is still a person underneath all of this. Just because someone has dementia doesn't mean their voice doesn't matter," she said.