Care for elderly to spiral with cuts

Elderly and vulnerable people will face increased costs to their care as councils face budget cuts. More than 80 per cent of councils are increasing care charges, according to a survey carried out by shadow health minister Emily Thornberry.

The survey asked 154 directors of adult social services in local councils what their plans were for the future of care. Of the respondents to the survey, 63 per cent were closing care homes or day centres, and 16 per cent were increasing eligibility criteria for care from this financial year.

More than half of the councils were cutting the voluntary sector this year, with a further 24 per cent considering it in the future.

The number of councils confident of meeting their social care responsibilities in the next financial year was 59 per cent, although this falls to 44 per cent in 2013/14.

Emily Thornberry said: ‘This survey confirms that far from protecting social care, the Tory-led government’s frontloaded cuts are too deep for local authorities to develop new services and retain partnerships with the voluntary sector.

‘There is a clear risk that services will not be effectively commissioned, and that in the environment created by the government’s policies, decisions on service provision, tightening eligibility and increasing charges will lead to some of the most vulnerable people being left without the care they depend on.’