Social care bosses have said technology will keep people safe overnight, but the move has been made amid rising wage costs for carers
Adults in Glasgow who need care through the night will no longer receive sleepover assistance.
Instead technology such as alarms and sensor mats will be used, with an on-call rapid response team able to attend in emergency situations.
The move is being described as modernisation by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership but disability organisations have deemed it as cuts being made in light of a ruling that workers on overnight shifts must be paid the National Living Wage.
Jim Elder Woodward, chair of the Scottish Independent Living Coalition, said: "People who need sleepovers need them because they might need help urgently. They can't wait hours. But telecare services often entail long waits.
"This isn't about modernisation, it is part of cuts. It is dangerous and I fear people could end up having to go to hospital. It is a false economy," he added.
"If someone is with you that gives you security and reassurance, and that person knows you. The personal care isn't there with telecare staff. This will erode people's ability to live independently and take away choice."
Annie Gunner-Logan, director of the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS), told the Herald that sleepovers hadn’t been deemed outdated until they were made unaffordable.
The partnership will be told at a meeting next month that the decision by recent employment tribunals will lead to increased costs of £4.5 million a year.
A report for the partnership will argue that telecare technology means people will remain safe during the night, with carers monitoring the technology remotely.
Councillor Mhairi Hunter, chair of Glasgow City Integration Joint Board, said: “Advances in technology have changed life beyond recognition for the vast majority of people in the past 10 years and social care now needs to complement these advances in the services it provides.
"We need to modernise care provision – working smarter to increase client confidence and independence while preserving safety."
