Social Service Chief is "disingenuous" (Kirklees Liberal Democrats)

Kirklees Liberal Democrats <info@kirkleeslibdems.org.uk>

Social Service Chief is "disingenuous"

August 9, 2006 12:00 AM

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Councillor Dennis Hullock is furious at recent comments made by Councillor Margaret Bates about the eligibility criteria for social services.

"At the time Cllr Bates and the Conservative group were involved in setting the criteria and made no protest at the time. She is well aware of the government policy "Fair Access to Care" and the changing demographics which drove this change. To somehow say that she was not involved and wants to pass the buck is disingenuous to say the least."

"The lack of money for social care is well known and well documented" says Councillor Hullock. "Across the country leading figures from local government and the health services have joined together to call for a reform of the health and social care system so that further cuts to service can be avoided."

"Kirklees, like many other authorities (1) has had to make some difficult and painful decisions forced on them such as withdrawing services from people with low-level care needs, lengthening waiting times for assessments and transferring resources from other services to provide for more and more people who are living longer with a greater range of complex needs." says Councillor Hullock.

"The annual survey carried out by the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Social Services and the Society of Municipal Treasurers into the financing of Social Services (2) highlights yet again the problems that social services departments up and down the country are facing. It is clear that the funding provided by the government is not adequate to meet the pressures local authorities are facing."

"The gap is widening across the country between the needs of residents and the resources provided to the Councils to satisfy those needs. This will continue to have an impact on services across the Council until the government provides sufficient money to meet the needs of Kirklees residents."

Cllr David Rogers, the Local Government Association's social care spokesperson, stressed councils planned to make £220 million of efficiencies in social care over the next financial year. He said: "Councils are leading the way in making efficiency savings and delivering ever better value for money in the public sector. But the increased number of people in need of care, coupled with some extreme financial pressures, has left many authorities with some deeply worrying problems."

Cllr Rogers added that financial problems in the NHS and a lack of government investment in social care had exacerbated the problem. Health and social care are two sides of the same coin. Under invest in one and you over stretch the other. The number of people in need of care is increasing by the day and a fair, sustainable system of funding must be introduced."

Julie Jones, President of the Association of Directors of Social Services, said: "Directors have expressed growing concerns about legitimate cost pressures across adult social care and children's services. We are being asked to respond positively to the White Paper 'Our health, Our care, Our say' and the 'Every Child matters' agenda by reinvesting in prevention and early intervention and we are keen to do so. But with budgets so stretched by responding to the needs of those with high care requirements it is difficult to see how we can make the shift without additional resources."

The survey found that because of financial and demographic pressures:

§ 80 per cent of councils are tightening eligibility criteria for people

with learning, physical and sensory disabilities - 77 per cent will do the same for older people

§ Seven out of ten adults will only receive support if their needs are critical - a ten per cent increase