Norfolk: Warning over the cost of care

Old people face having to pay more for their care and some will miss out completely as Norfolk social services prepares to make millions of pounds of cuts - reports the Eastern Daily Press.

The department is trying to make £13m of savings from the adult social services budget next year alone, a figure which rises to £37m over the next three years.

It is part of what County Hall chiefs described as a “difficult” picture for all the council's services. Although the county council will not hear about its government funding settlement until next month, it is expecting to receive an extra £16m from Whitehall - but faces paying an extra £38.7m in inflation costs and to meet rising demand for services, leaving it to make £22.7m of savings next year.

Paul Brittain, the council's head of finance, said: “There are savings right across the board in adult services, children's services, planning and transport and so on. It is a very difficult financial situation.”

Harold Bodmer, director of adult social services, said: “It is a tough situation. We have to set this on the context of a very difficult budget.”

The most severe cutbacks proposed are reducing the number of people who receive care by 1,084 over the next three years, saving £3m next year and more than £19m in all.

Hilary Macdonald, chief executive of Age Concern Norfolk, said that some people might choose to do without services if they were faced with having to pay more.

She said: “Inevitably the burden is going to fall on family and other carers.

“We are very concerned that with the need for cuts - and this is across the board, in health services as well as social services - preventative services will fall off the agenda. It is vitally important that older people receive the support they need”.

Chris Mowle, cabinet member for adult social services, said: “Quite clearly the government is underfunding social care by a massive amount, therefore if county councillors hold to their pledge and keep council tax down, services for vulnerable adults are at extreme risk.”