THIS disabled pensioner is one of 1,600 adults living in North East Lincolnshire who are dependent on regular home support from carers.

When North East Lincolnshire Council stopped subsidising the cost of adult social care and introduced means testing in April this year, the hourly rate of 70-year-old Peter Greenfield’s care went up from £6.75 to £11.24.

The Fairer Charges scheme – which also increased the cost of day care centres from £2.16 to £26.42 a session for some after means testing – are described as “fair and reasonable” by NELC, and in line with government policy.

But this view is not shared by Mr Greenfield, of New Waltham, who has switched to private care after discovering it costs less than if he stayed with the authority.

Today, he has spoken out in the Grimsby Telegraph as part of an in-depth look into how changes to adult health and social care are affecting the vulnerable people in our area.

He said: “I saw red when I saw the price increases and went privately due to my principles. I have made private arrangements and now I get the care as I want it.”

A retired teacher and wheelchair user, Mr Greenfield’s state pension and life-savings were deemed enough by NELC for him to pay 100 per cent of the cost for his care.

He signed a care contract with private firm, HICA – which until recently was one of 15 care providers for NELC – and now pays £10.90 an hour for care.

“I have made private arrangements and now I get the care as I want it,” he said.

“The private company is currently working for NELC until the end of October, which means sometimes I get the same carers as I have always had. It has worked out ever so well.

“Private care is just a different option. If you have to now pay full whack for your care from the council you may as well go private.”

Through HICA, Mr Greenfield receives the same amount of care and even has the same carers as he did with NELC.

But whereas NELC charge a fixed monthly rate, privately Mr Greenfield pays for the care he receives – meaning he doesn’t have to fork out fees while away on holiday.

HICA chief executive Andrew Stow said: “The fact we charge less than the full cost of the council is remarkable and we have seen a considerable number of people come over to us and that seems to be growing because of our prices and the services we offer. Every individual has the right to choice and we hope we are providing that for people.”

Before “Fairer Charges” was introduced, NELC was paying for 92 per cent of the cost of the borough’s care, now it is for 40 per cent.

The scheme will generate an income of £2,512,000, which will be pumped back the into adult social care budget.

Council Leader Chris Shaw promised a review into the new charges scheme in May last year, claiming they were “too high”, but at the recent Cabinet meeting, it was ruled no changes will be made.

At the time, Councillor Shaw said “external pressures” on the council’s finances meant that reducing the charges was not an option, adding: “We do appreciate the charges increased significantly at the last budget and, in an ideal world, we would be able to reduce them, but the pressures forced on us by central government mean we don’t have the flexibility to do that.

“We think the system is fair, even though the costs are too high. However, we will make sure the vulnerable and those in financial need will get the support they need.”

The impact of the new scheme contributed to a recent, independent report ruling the council is coping “badly” with national budget cuts.

The report, by think-tank, Demos and charity, Scope, uncovered budget decisions made by all 152 councils in England ranking them on the impact these will have on local disabled people.

Using findings from Freedom of Information requests, they ranked NELC as 12th worst in the country – despite it increasing its adult social care budget by 35 per cent this year (£46- million).

It also uncovered how the council decreased the budget for older people’s care and support by 13.46 per cent and their disabled children and family care by 4.54 per cent for 2011/12.

Amisha Koria, a spokesperson for Scope, stressed the research was not to “name and shame” councils, but to highlight difficulties disabled and elderly people will face as a result of tighter budgets.

She said: “Those councils which have done well have taken a more creative approach – although they have a small amount of money to play with, they are still supporting their local people.

“Whereas NELC has introduced charges on a number of different issues, including disabled people’s laundry services and home care.

“While this may bring North East Lincolnshire in line with other councils it will no doubt be keenly felt by disabled families.”

Councillor Lindley, portfolio holder for people services disputed the report’s findings, claiming it didn’t “stack up” against other reports, like the Care Quality Commission’s, which stated adult social care services in North East Lincolnshire were “consistently delivering excellent or very good services”.

He said: “The results from this analysis don’t stack up against the range of other information we have – including the views and experiences of the people who use our services.

“There is an expectation that all councils will assess people’s needs and their ability to pay for care services as appropriate.

“This council has recently reviewed its charging arrangements and is confident that they are fair and reasonable and in-line with government policy issued last year.

“It is still a priority of the council to ensure vulnerable and older people are helped to live independently and manage their own lives and I believe that fairer charging is the way to do that.”

See your Grimsby Telegraph today for more on how changes to adult health and social care are affecting people in North East Lincolnshire.

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Private-care-saved-money/story-13589463-detail/story.html