Unison hits out at Audit Commission ‘care myths’

Trade union Unison has lambasted the Audit Commission for ‘peddling a dangerous myth’ in suggesting councils could easily make £300m savings from care assessment efficiencies.

In a report issued yesterday, the spending watchdog calculated annual care packages for 20,000 elderly people could be met were best practice matched evenly by all councils.

But Unison has claimed the Commission’s recommendation for councils to review pay levels would mean the replacement of qualified social workers with non-professional staff – a move the unions says would damage care standards and lead to longer term costs.

Unison national officer for social care, Helga Pile said: ‘This is something we’ve long been concerned with in adult social work – providing social care on the cheap – and the Audit Commission’s report is yet more evidence of a flippant approach to care standards when it come to vulnerable adults.’

According to a survey conducted last year by Unison, two thirds of respondents said they were often forced to do work with vulnerable children and adults for which they felt themselves too unqualified and inexperienced.

However, John Baker, head of local public sector at consultants Ernst & Young said while the Audit Commission’s call for effective and timely assessments could reduce duplication and create significant efficiencies, it was only a partial answer to authorities’ huge social care challenges.

Citing research his firm had undertaken, Mr Baker said better integration, early intervention and an average 6% shift from spend in acute services to social care would help bridge the current spending gap in many local authorities.

‘The challenge is bringing together all the vested interests in the process, with a focus on outcomes, and identifying the clear and detailed financial consequences of integration,’ said Mr Baker.