A care charity which supports severely disabled care home residents says it's being forced to try and evict them because of the rising costs of care. The Leonard Cheshire charity says it can no longer afford to subsidise all the 3,000 people it currently supports in the UK.
It has blamed the rising costs which local authorities are not prepared to meet. A spokesman said council budgets are now at “breaking point” and that “funding being allocated to providers like us is sometimes simply not keeping pace with the real costs of care in many cases”.
The situation means the charity has sought to evict some vulnerable residents with complex disabilities, because council funders had refused to meet fee increases that reflected the rising costs of wages, energy and food. The Guardian reported that the charity has served 11 eviction notices on contracts that had been under negotiation without agreement since February.
It adds that two of these notices were rescinded after the council later agreed to pay uprated fees, while about 12 of the charity’s residents nationally face eviction orders.
A spokesman for Leonard Cheshire said: “Social care is a sector in crisis following years of chronic underfunding and the absence of meaningful long-term reform. Councils urgently need a cash injection from government to address soaring costs and pressures affecting every provider.
“With council budgets squeezed to breaking point and further rationing of services on the horizon, funding being allocated to providers like us is sometimes simply not keeping pace with the real costs of care in many cases. Disabled people with complex needs should be able to access the care they require, without providers meeting shortfalls which isn’t sustainable.”
He called for a “greater understanding” about the higher costs involved in delivering high quality care and support for people with complex needs of all ages.
The spokesman added: “The Government must urgently ensure costs of care for working-age disabled people are fairly reflected in social care funding, so that those with complex needs are not potentially discriminated against by some authorities implementing local cost regimes that are out of step with reality.”
Leonard Cheshire provides various care homes across the UK. This includes services for people with physical disabilities and learning disabilities and also residential nursing services for those with more complex needs.
The charity would never seek to end its support unless there was no viable alternative and every option had been fully explored, the spokesman added.
Jackie O’Sullivan, communication director of Mencap, which supports people with learning disabilities, told BBC News: “We have known that social care is in trouble and we have known that it is not properly funded for quite a while now. This is really the sign that it really is fracturing and ultimately the people who need care and rely on care are suffering.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We have prioritised health and social care in the autumn statement, with up to £7.5 billion available over the next two years to support adult social care services and improve access to care for the most vulnerable in our society – the biggest funding increase in history.
“Our annual domestic recruitment campaign, Made With Care, is encouraging people to take up a career in adult social care and we are also investing £15 million to increase international recruitment.”
