The GSD have issued a statement calling for accountability from Government following the concerns from service users and employees connected to Lifecome Care.

A statement from the GSD follows below:

The GSD is deeply alarmed by urgent and distressing concerns from service users and employees caught in the ongoing chaos surrounding Gibraltar’s Home Support and Domiciliary Care Services. 

Despite the Government’s characterisation of these issues as mere “teething problems,” the situation  continues to escalate into a disruption of critical care services. Reports indicate that some employees have yet to receive their wages, while others report payment discrepancies. This instability among  care workers—who provide vital support to some of our community’s most vulnerable—has fuelled widespread anxiety and uncertainty among service users and their families. 

Shadow Minister for Care, Atrish Sanchez, expressed her frustration, stating: “It is deeply  disappointing to witness the Government’s complete lack of preparation. In the last  parliamentary session, we asked the Minister responsible when LifeCome Care was licensed by  the Office of Fair Trading, and she confirmed it was only approved on October 17th—months  after the tender was awarded. We have also flagged ongoing and unresolved issues with the  app used by care workers for their rosters and care delivery, which the Minister claimed had  been resolved, as well as unresolved contractual concerns. These issues and more have  consistently disrupted service delivery, and the Government has failed to provide the oversight  necessary to prevent this chaos. The opposition has highlighted these issues for months, and it  is unacceptable that the Government has failed to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.” 

Service users, their families, and the carers themselves are now bearing the brunt of these disruptions.  The Government promised a seamless transfer of services when the contract was awarded in June.  Instead, families are left in uncertainty, and our community is deprived of the stability they were  assured. 

The GSD is also concerned by the Minister’s attempts to deflect responsibility solely onto the private  company managing the service. This approach is insufficient. We remind the Minister that this  contract—funded by taxpayer money amounting to over £3.8 million—was awarded by the  Government to deliver essential care to some of Gibraltar’s most vulnerable citizens. The Government  cannot distance itself from its duty to oversee, support, and swiftly resolve these critical issues. 

The GSD calls on the Minister to take immediate, decisive action to restore order and stability to  Gibraltar’s Domiciliary Care and Home Support Services. Service users, their families, and the  employees who care for our community deserve stability, efficiency, and a prompt, decisive response  from the Government to bring an end to this chaos.