Telford & Wrekin Council proposes changes to adult social care charges

Telford & Wrekin Council is proposing changes to the amount adults pay towards their social care, as outlined in a paper set to be discussed at the cabinet meeting on Thursday, 15 June.

Pending cabinet approval, the council will launch a consultation to fully understand how the proposed changes may impact people.

Telford & Wrekin Council provides chargeable adult social care services to 1,882 residents including residential, nursing and home care services.

In total, the net budget for adult social care services in the borough this year is £62 million – over 40% of the council’s total net budget.

Under the proposed changes, approximately half of those currently receiving chargeable social care services will experience no change to what they pay. Others may see an increase in their charges.

The council says it remains committed to ensuring that people are not charged more than they can afford to pay towards the cost of their social care, through individual financial assessments.

Cllr Paul Watling (Lab), Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Systems said:

"Throughout the past nine years, we have maintained a generous approach to social care charges, resulting in significantly lower charges compared to national guidelines and other local authorities.

“With less government funding and a growing demand for social care services from an ageing population and from people with complex support needs, it is becoming increasingly challenging for us to cover the rising costs of care provision. This is despite the council investing an extra £7.26 million into adult social care this year.

“We are therefore proposing changes to our adult social care charges to bring them in line with national guidelines and those of other local authorities.

"Our goal is to continue to deliver the highest standard of care to people who use our social care services, while ensuring that their contributions to the care they receive are affordable and based on their individual circumstances.

“We encourage everyone to share their thoughts on the impact of the proposed changes.

“The consultation will launch on 20 June 2023 and will run for 11 weeks. People will have various options to provide their feedback, by completing an online or paper copy questionnaire as well as by attending virtual and face-to-face sessions.

“We value in particular the input of people who use our social care services, who will each receive a personalised explanation of the proposed changes to their individual charges.

“We will ensure that everyone has all the support and access to information and guidance they need throughout this process and that they are given considerable advanced notice of any changes to their social care charges.

“Pending the outcome of the consultation, the proposed changes will come into effect from January 2024."