Elderly care users could be facing increases charges in the autumn when they use Dorset Council-run day care.

One councillor has claimed that some could face increases of up to £200 per week – although the council says that where individuals do see an increase they will offer help and assistance and any rises will be limited to the ability to afford the payment.

Portland councillor Sue Cocking (Ind) said the council was targeting the vulnerable to make savings – which she said came as a surprise after being told that social care was one of the new council’s main priorities.

She was only allowed to speak to the item at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting after the changes had been debated and agreed.

“It could cost some £10 to £200 a week, which is a significant increase,” she warned the meeting.

She said the council did not seem to realise how much impact any increases would have not just to those who received services, but to family and friends, some of which had already been forced to give up work to be a carer.

She said the use of day care was often the only time that carers got a break: “It’s not a lifestyle of their choosing,” she said.

“I have experienced this personally and feel very passionately about it.”

Cllr Cocking said any increase would be felt hardest in areas like Weymouth and Portland where many had low incomes and where the levels of deprivation were the highest in the county.

Changes 'consulted on'

Lead member for adult social care and health Cllr Laura Miller (Con) said that the changes to charges for day care and transport had been widely consulted on and were being put forward to make the system fairer. A report before councillors confirmed that if a small number continued to use services, as they do now, they could be paying £200 a week, or more, extra after September.

She told Tuesday’s meeting that the new charges were due to come into effect in the autumn and would see 112 people across rural Dorset facing increases because of the changes – 65 of which were self-funded.

Each of those people would be spoken to and their options explained, including what additional help or other choices for care might be available.

She said that the adult social care budget had a savings target in 2019-20 of £5 million and that the review of charges for day care and transport would provide £540,000 in additional income from the increase payments over a full year – but because the proposal was for the new charges to start on September 8th, between £200,000 and £250,000 would still need to be found in savings elsewhere.

Transport charges will rise by the full amount on September 8th with day care charges rising by 50 per cent of the full amount at that time – with the full cost payable for care received from October 6th.

A previous council report says there are 744 service users who receive day care with or without transport. Of these 192 (26%) have been assessed as having no ability to pay and 66 (9%) assessed as self-funders, receiving no financial help with charges.

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The changes proposed will affect contributions for day care and transport to day care. Day care is primarily provided through Tricuro, a jointly owned council organisation. Day care contributions are £12.63 per half day sessions or £25.26 for a full day. The true cost of day care (at Tricuro rates) is higher and is based on the level of complexity of the individual’s needs, expressed as low, medium, or high complexity: low £48 per day, medium £57 per day and high £95 per day. Contribution levels will increase in the autumn to the true costs.

Transport to day care centres can be via the council bus fleet or external taxi service. Concessionary transport contribution is only applicable to those in receipt of mobility benefit. The current contributions are £2.76 per journey for standard transport and £4.51 plus 55p per mile over 5 miles for concessionary transport. It is proposed to move to a standard charge of £10 per journey across the board.