Wokingham

Wokingham District Council’s decision-making executive is to consider making changes next year to some of its social care charging policies following a recent review.

“In the face of severe under-funding from central government for adult social care nationally and to bring us in line with national government guidance, we have no alternative but to change the way we charge for some of our social care services,“ said Cllr Debbie Lewis, lead member for social care finance.

Three service areas have been reviewed: residential, respite care and day care services. And at next week’s meeting of the Wokingham executive on Thursday October 26, councillors are being recommended to make no changes to the current day care and to adopt the following changes to the charging policies for:

* Residential services - to charge residents up to the full actual cost of providing residential care received at Suffolk Lodge in Wokingham and Fosters Older People’s Home in Woodley, instead of having a charging limit subsidised through council tax.

Based on a nationally-set scale, these charges are subject to assessment of each resident’s financial ability to pay. And residents who have fewer assets or income would have no change to their charges other than a small annual rise.

If given the go-ahead, the new charges would be phased in over two years starting from April 2007 for Suffolk Lodge residents and over three years for Fosters’ residents. New residents at both homes would be charged the full actual cost when they take up residence, starting from April 2007.

* Respite Care – to charge people up to the maximum of the full actual costs of providing respite care at both Wokingham council-run homes and those operated by private providers, instead of having reduced rates subsidised through council tax. These charges would be on a sliding scale according to the person’s ability to pay. A full financial assessment of each person’s means to pay would be carried out before any changes are made.

“If approved, these changes would bring us in line with national government guidance and reflect the cost of providing these services, helping to ensure that Wokingham council tax is spread as widely and fairly as possible,” said Cllr Lewis.

The council does not currently charge for day care services. And following the recent review, councillors are being recommended to maintain the existing policy, with nobody being charged for day care.

Wokingham District Council