Home Care Cost Warning

The most infirm elderly and severely disabled Islington residents are now more likely to be forced out of their homes and into residential care – to save money, it is claimed.

Islington Council says residents who already receive care at home will not be affected – but they have promised tough new measures for elderly and disabled residents assessed from now on.

Councillor John Gilbert (Liberal Democrat), Islington’s executive member for health and adult social care, said: “We will only pay the cost of residential care if that cost is less [than sending them to a care home]. As far as the council or council tax payers are concerned there’s a limit to what we’ll pay.”

The changes will also mean 50 per cent of service users face an increase of £10 per week in the cost of their care. Nine per cent will have to pay £20 per week on top of current charges. Residents with more than £21,000 of savings will now foot the entire bill for their care.

Councillor Gilbert said: “It’s not something we really want to do but prudent financial management forces us to do it. There are some very high cost users, costing us about £2,000 a week to support at home. The cost of having these in residential care could be half that. By introducing this policy we’re able to help far more people than if we pay exorbitant costs to keep people in their own homes.”

He added: “People currently receiving day care at home will keep it. We’re not in the business of uprooting people.”

Opposition councillor Natasha Chatterjee, Labour’s disabilities spokeswoman, said: “If a person’s care package is high it’s because their needs are high. Forcing people into residential accommodation to meet these needs is not an acceptable option – the council must uphold its commitment to promote independence, choice and control and find the necessary resources.