Aileen Robertson

ONE YEAR after Fife Council decided to increase charges for home care, the action group formed to fight the changes has stepped up its campaign.

According to the Campaign Against Charges (CAC), around 1600 people have stopped their home care because of the increased fees, while over 1000 have given up their community alarm and 500 their shopping delivery service.

Maureen Clos, from the campaign, said, “We are worried about what is happening to these people.

“The council is obliged to do a risk assessment on people and if they are found to be at risk without the service, they are obliged to continue it regardless of whether they pay or not.

“The SNP/Lib Dem architects of the policy dismissed campaigners as alarmist but one year on we are now beginning to see the dramatic effects on real people.

“There is no sign of the campaign group going away. People are still as outraged as ever.”

She continued, “None of the people we’ve met so far are rich— they’re being charged these amounts because they have Disability Living Allowance and an occupational pension.

“If Fife Council had done the appropriate impact assessment on the policy before it was voted through, the implications would have been apparent and the policy would have to have been abandoned or altered.

“Surely having a rise in charges of over £70 a week has a huge impact on anyone’s budget.

“No account has been taken of the additional costs of disability in regard to specialist equipment, special diets, extra heating, extra care not provided by the council.”

Labour councillor Mark Hood, the opposition spokesman for social work and health, slammed the new charging system, which started in April, as “The most unpopular policy since Margaret Thatcher’s Poll Tax.”

“Over the last few weeks as the first of the bills have started to arrive I have had a large number of service users contact me because their new bills for home care, which was previously capped at £4 a week, have gone through the roof.

“One example is an ex-miner who has seen his weekly bill rise from £4 to £77.

“He had put away money all his life for his retirement but after a couple of heart attacks now needs daily assistance and most of his pension now goes to pay for his care.

“For pensioners who need a community alarm, their household bill has gone up by £51 a year and for many they are still trying to find out what the home care bill will be. For the disabled who need help it has been a year of uncertainty and worry.”

Mr Hood has written to Fife’s chairman of health and social work, Tim Brett, asking him to co-chair public meetings to “debate and discuss” the issue of home care charges.

Mr Brett was in a meeting yesterday afternoon and The Courier could not contact him.

However, Fife Council senior manager Kenny Leinster questioned CAC’s figures. He said according to a social work and health committee report in September, of the 4766 people receiving home care, 120 had advised the council they no longer require a service.

“Of 6000 community alarm users, only 76 have indicated they no longer wish to have one and of the 1300 people who received a shopping delivery service, 212 have asked for it to stop,” he said.

“In all these cases we have contacted the service user and, where appropriate, visited them to make sure no one is left at risk. If people need a service and are genuinely unable to pay they will not be left vulnerable.

“And we are available to meet anyone with queries or concerns about the charging, or to reassess an individual’s finances, if they feel this is necessary.”

He repeated the local authority’s stance on the matter—that those who could afford to were asked to contribute to the cost of care to ensure everyone received the support they required and that income went “straight back into priority services” for the most vulnerable people.

Mr Leinster continued, “We have repeatedly made it clear that no one who needs a service will be left without the support they need to keep them safe and healthy within their home.

“We have been accused of failing to assess or review service user’s needs before issuing bills for home care but this is not the case. We carry out needs assessments for all new service users and review the care for existing clients.

“So everyone receiving care will have their needs assessed or reviewed and, if there is a change to an individual’s circumstances, they can request a reassessment.

“Before any charges are put in place we are carrying out a financial assessment programme for service users to ensure their benefits are maximised.

“In conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions and the local services network, this programme has generated £2.1 million in unclaimed benefits for our customers.”

“The amount an individual is asked to pay towards their home care depends on their disposable income, which takes into account income like pensions and benefits such as disability living allowance, as well as living costs such as rent and council tax.

“It’s important to remember that benefits such as disability living allowance are paid by the Government to contribute towards the care that an individual needs.”