Grantown care group Parklands ‘contributes £10 million to economy’
A new study has found Grantown-based independent care provider Parklands Care Homes makes a multimillion-pound contribution to the Highlands economy.
Parklands operates care home in the region in Grantown, Fortrose, Muir of Ord and Tain and is currently creating a new 58-bed care community in Inverness, due to open in spring next year.
The report by economic consultants MKA Economics assesses the group’s current economic impact and projects the effects of its future expansion up to 2028.
Its analysis shows that Parklands currently contributes £10 million a year to the Highlands economy in gross value added (GVA).
It also operates eight homes across Moray and Aberdeenshire, contributing £15.8 million to the economy there according to the report.
The Inverness development also includes a “later living village” and rental accommodation for key workers.
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This plus the creation of a 10-bed extension to its existing home in Grantown will see its contribution to the Highland economy increase to £14.9 million a year by 2028, the report states.
The report also suggests the number of care beds provided by the Parklands group is forecast to increase by 59 per cent, from 451 to 718.
The Parklands group currently employs around 860 staff, including full-time, part-time, and relief workers, and supports employment through its wider supply chain. The economic study converts these numbers into full-time equivalents (FTEs). It projects that Parklands’ expansion will increase its FTE count from 501 to 757, a 51 per cent rise.
Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Care Homes, said: “Parklands has grown from a single care home into one of the north of Scotland's largest employers, delivering much-needed care capacity and creating new career opportunities for local people.
“At a time when social care in Scotland is contracting, Parklands is delivering significant investment in the region.
"This economic impact study highlights our role as a major employer and economic driver in the region, with our contribution set to grow significantly as we expand.
“Our ongoing developments will not only enhance care provision but also deliver a substantial economic dividend to the construction sector and create new employment opportunities for local people, ensuring lasting benefits for communities across the Highlands and the north east.”
Colin Marr, chief eexecutive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said: “We already knew that Parkland’s is an important contributor to the Highland economy, and this report allows us to quantify their current contribution while also looking ahead to how that contribution will grow over the next few years as their expansion plans come to fruition.
“All locally based large employers are important for our region and it’s imperative that as our population ages we have a thriving, quality care sector who can attend to their needs.”
Dr Donald Macaskill, chief executive of Scottish Care, a membership organisation representing the independent social care sector in Scotland, said: “This important and independent study evidences the substantial economic contribution which the Parklands Care Group brings to the areas it works in.
“It is simply phenomenal to consider that existing provision, together with extensive planned investment, will mean that Parklands will contribute to the Scottish economy over £41 million a year by 2028. There can be few organisations contributing so much by direct employment and local community economic contribution.
“Parklands is illustrative of the many organisations delivering social care support across Scotland. Too often when we hear about social care in the media it’s about how much it costs but this research and others shows the reverse - social care is a sector that contributes more to the Scottish economy than many others.
“It is time economic and political leadership in Scotland started to really invest in social care and its workforce, because if that happens not only will individual lives be transformed but whole communities will be regenerated.”
Mark Kummerer, director of MKA Economics, said: “Parklands Care Homes is a major employer in its own right, and brings demonstrable economic impacts to the areas it serves.
“The wider ripple effect of their business activities are valuable to the Scottish economy, bringing direct jobs and supporting wider jobs in the economy.
“This is expected to increase substantially over the next few years.”
