I read today of the worrying proposals announced for personalisation, outsourcing and less residential care for the elderly to achieve Council budget savings. We are told that council’s are now finalising their budgets for 2013 and 14. This will be the third consecutive year in which they have faced reduced budgets with over £2b cut in the last two years alone from adult social care.
We know that in at least 18 Local Authorities in the UK a decision has apparently been made to reduce spending on residential care services for the elderly and to utilise an alternative model by moving as many people as they can from residential care into some form of supported housing. We are also told that some authorities (notably Bristol) are taking steps to close down day care centres to achieve yet further savings.
Inevitably there is a real risk in my view that the drive to make cuts will result in many been denied residential care when they clearly need it putting the elderly at real risk and in addition even more social isolation!
Views?
To think that London, or anywhere else for that matter, does not belong to any one demographic
