I will begin this latest statement with a troubling announcement. This case is about an 87 year old, terminally ill widower who lost his wife of 55 years just 2 years ago and is left with only his memories, and the companionship of their devoted pet dog. The story behind this should have been making headlines several months ago. But the press and media have held back, using as an excuse the name given by 2 pensioners to their pet when they got him as a young pup ten years ago. Solely to give Bob and his dog the chance they need to get the backing required to find a solution to this appalling situation, the dog will, from this moment on, be referred to as 'Darcie' (derived from the Irish version - meaning descended from the dark one). Hopefully, once Bob and his dog are finally, but soon, freed from the unbearable stress under which they find themselves, the dog will revert to being himself and will take the press and media and others to the European Court to sue them for depriving him of his (almost) Human Rights. Obviously, he would have to do so within the next 23 1/2 months, unless Nicola Sturgeon gets her way !! Close to 300,000 people have now taken the time to oppose what is happening to Bob and Darcie. Many hundreds of them have also left comments of support and have voiced their anger at the complacency and failure of the press and media and of central and local government to recognise the worrying implications of what Bob and Darcie have been exposed to and the many problems within the private care sector as a whole, which leave our most vulnerable citizens at extreme risk. This dereliction of duty must not go unrecognised and all concerned must now stand up and be counted. So as to avoid filters, I am unable to include the petition link. For those who are reading this other than from within the site itself, the full story can be found at: https://change.org/savebobsdog Twenty years ago Dr David Mead established Mead Medical Services Ltd and set up a Care Home in Aberdeen to specialise in catering for elderly clients with dementia and Alzheimer's. Within the past 48 hours, Aberdeen City Council and various partnership agencies have taken over control of Kingsmead Care Home, installing new management and nursing teams. This follows a series of poor inspection reports. Further south in Ecclefechan, Burnfoot Hall and Coach House is also run by Mead Medical Services Ltd and has been Bob's home for the past 4 years. Now, the inexplicable pressures being applied by Mead Medical have left Bob feeling that he now desperately wants to leave Burnfoot Hall and his 41 friends there behind and 'escape' to a privately rented bungalow on his own, with only Darcie to keep him company. That move is being organised to happen within the next 14 days. My main concerns are that, although Bob sees this as the only answer, he does not fully understand that this will leave him in an equally precarious position with a private sector unprotected Tenancy in a (albeit lovely) bungalow with a sign outside which still reads 'for sale or to let' and without the many other residents, visitors and staff he would be leaving behind. I fear that loneliness and isolation would soon set-in and that this, along with much reduced care support, will have a telling, probably fatal, impact. I spoke to Bob today and explained the recent events at Kingsmead Care Home. I then casually asked him what outcome he would really prefer. His answer was that, above all else, he would much rather stay exactly where he is, so long as he can have his dog by his side. There is no escaping the fact that an eviction has to take place at Burnfoot Hall sometime very soon. It is now simply a question as to whether Bob and Darcie should be evicted, or Mead Medical and Michael Best? Amongst the many tens of thousands who have shown support for Bob and the many who have left personal messages of encouragement, people have regularly asked 'what can we do to help'. There are some things which people can quite easily do. 1. Bob is kept updated about the amazing support which he continues to receive and is overwhelmed by it all. But the internet is a mystery to him. Please write directly to Bob to show support so that he can fully appreciate how much people really CARE. His address is: Robert/Bob Harvey Room 22 Burnfoot Hall Ecclefechan DG11 3LG 2. Write (rather than e:mailing) direct to Mead Medical Services Ltd to protest at this appalling situation. They have filtered out all e:mails which refer to this case. But they will need to open each letter received and this will disrupt their management. Their address is: Mead Medical Services Ltd Standalane Annan DG12 5JR 3. Please contact Nicola Sturgeon direct to demand that she, her Ministers, local government and the Care agencies and partners involved intervene directly and examine the impact which this case is having on one very vulnerable, terminally ill man of 87 years of age. But it is essential that, to avoid a get-out response that the SNP leadership does not get involved in individual cases, e:mails must further demand that the authorities immediately consider this case in terms of the much wider implications about poor management, control and supervision of the private care sector as a whole. E:mail Nicola Sturgeon at: firstminister@gov.scot Those responsible MUST now stand up and be counted and a public inquiry, preferably with a publicly funded judicial review, must commence immediately. Public opinion is extremely powerful and we do need to reach the 300,000 petition signatures needed within the next few days. If the press and media do what they know to be right, that target is easily achievable. Thank You to everyone who has continued to follow and support this case. We draw ever nearer to a satisfactory outcome which can relieve so much of the pressure which Bob still feels he is under, but which can also make life so much better for many of our most vulnerable citizens. Thanks & Regards Arthur Shuter Team Bob