GLASGOW city council are accused of burying their heads in the sand over chaos at care provider Cordia.

SNP councillor Malcolm Balfour, who raised the issue of the changes to staff shifts at last month’s full council meeting, has called for the administration to step in amid problems surround staff shift changes.

Mr Balfour, who acts as the Glasgow SNP personnel spokesman, is now urging Gordon Matheson’s Labour group to step in to “prevent more vulnerable people from suffering.”

He said: “I asked [the administration] if they would re-think the situation.

“They are burying their heads in the sand, thinking if there is a problem it will go away and they don’t need to worry as Cordia is an arms-length organisation.

“They are part of the council family therefore the council do ultimately have a responsibility of care.

“It’s the vulnerable people who are suffering through Cordia.

“This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

“The administration seem to have what would appear to be a blatant disregard for the most vulnerable people in the city.”

Staff at the care provider have also spoken to the Evening Times and demanded the council step in to help too.

Union bosses are urging the local authority to get involved, and say public services - such as care - should always be provided by the council, never an external firm.

Sam Macartney, of the union Unison, which is working to help staff involved with the dispute, said: “This arms length company has never worked. It is a black hole.

“It will always be the case that public services are for the public and should be run by local councils who are accountable to the public and the council tax payers of this city."

As reported in yesterday’s Evening Times, an elderly woman was left for hours soaked in her own urine after no carers turned up to her home.

We also told of another woman who was found at 4am with only a towel wrapped round her, still sitting in front of her dinner, as nobody arrived for her evening appointment.

The care provider issued an apology and said the standard of care was far below what they aim to provide.

They have also started an investigation into the two incidents, with a manager being sent home pending the inquiry.

City council social care spokesman Malcolm Cunning said: “We are committed to providing a quality service within the public sector, rather than putting this work out to private agencies as many other councils have done.

“To do so, we need to be able to make sure we are providing the service when users need it, rather than when we happen to have staff available so the changes that are under way are absolutely critical.

“I am in contact with the senior staff at Cordia on a daily basis during this transition period and my colleagues and I are being kept fully briefed.”