WLGA responds to new limit to social care charges
24 March 2011
Beverlea Frowen, WLGA Director of Social Services said:
“The WLGA recognises the inconsistency that exists across Wales around homecare charging and on that basis acknowledges today’s announcement as entirely laudable. However, there are many different parts of social care that councils need to adequately fund not just home care support. All elements of councils’ social care budgets are currently under intense pressure, including mental health, children with disabilities, children in care and learning disabilities.
“Local authority charges vary due to differences in local circumstances and specific local pressures. Unlike healthcare, social care is not free and local authorities have no option but to charge individuals for the support services they receive. This income goes towards meeting the needs of the people within the system.
“Whilst the Welsh Assembly Government has agreed to allocate £10.1m a year to reimburse local authorities for the loss of income through charging, the WLGA is very concerned that this will only cover the costs of those people already within the system. It does not cover unmet need. Should more people enter the system, coupled with the financial pressures facing local authorities from severe budget cuts then local authorities will not be able to meet this new demand and the quality of care could suffer as a consequence. Not everyone who receives social care support is known to the social care system and this cap of a maximum of £50 could result in new demand coming forward which will not have factored into the Assembly’s estimations and funding calculations. For example, many people opt out of the social care system choosing to self fund all of their care and therefore currently never come into contact with their local authority.
“Improving social services is a priority for local government and the Assembly Government and we continue to work with the Assembly to protect frontline services and the most vulnerable in Wales. Local authorities are committed to this principle but with numbers rising for all parts of the social care system, pressures around service demand and continued financial cuts, this could mean that local authorities will have to raise their eligibility criteria even further to manage these pressures, thereby putting even further strain on the system.”