Lib Dems slam cuts to older people's day care

5.37.23pm GMT Sun 10th Sep 2006

Conservatives at Suffolk County Council have been accused of creating fear and confusion amongst elderly people and their carers as a result of proposed changes to day care services. The Conservative Cabinet is set to agree a consultation on the future of day services for older people at its meeting on Tuesday 5th September. Kathy Pollard, Leader of the Liberal Democrat and Independent group has criticised the letters which are being sent out to people receiving day care and their carers.

She commented "These letters are creating a huge amount of uncertainty and confusion amongst elderly people. Day care is a vital lifeline to older people and their carers, but there is no reassurance in these letters that this will continue. For many carers this is the only respite they get and it enables them to continue caring for their relatives instead of putting them in residential care, which is more expensive. This consultation is also creating a huge amount of uncertainty for staff, who don't know whether they will have a job or not after November. Why aren't the Conservatives looking at the option of reducing the cost of County Council run services, instead of assuming that external companies will automatically be cheaper?"

Another paper to the same meeting highlights savings of £850,000 which must be made from day care services, this year and a further £943,000 next year. It also mentions that there has been a 7% reduction in the amount of day care provided in the first quarter of this financial year, which has meant 121 fewer day care places.

Mrs. Pollard added "Whilst we understand the need to make savings, we don't understand why the Conservatives are cutting services instead of tackling, for example bureaucracy and travel costs. There is no evidence in the budget monitoring paper that, for example, the administration is trying to reduce the millions spent on travel each year or that they have made any significant savings in bulk purchasing. By abolishing the cross party Procurement Board, they have made it harder to scrutinise what they are - or are not, achieving in this area. A number of my colleagues have been contacted by worried elderly people, who have no idea whether or not they will continue to be able to go to day care after November."

John Field, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Bramford, has also criticised the option to close Cherryfields which provides respite and day care for older people. He c commented: "The standard of respite and day care provided by Cherryfields is extremely high and is supplied by a team of dedicated staff, to lose such a service would be a major blow for older people in Suffolk. The administration needs be looking at cutting bureaucracy rather than front line services."