Private sector residential care fees are not being forced up, claims social services' chiefs

The President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), who represents directors of adult social care services in England, has defended the association over criticisms that care costs for non-funded council residents are being forced up.

President Peter Hay labelled Age UK’s reading of the situation as ‘simplistic’ and called for greater clarity and understanding on the challenges that services face in funding care provision, despite agreeing with the charity that residential care funds are currently insufficient.

Michelle Mitchell of Age UK had previously claimed that private care home operators were increasing client fees in order to make up for the funding shortfall from the public sector, saying 'The under-funding crisis in care is hitting older people hard and self-funding care home residents are unjustly having to foot the bill for cuts to social care'.

Addressing the issue of care expenditure Mr Hay said, ‘We have repeatedly warned of an undeniable funding gap between the demographically-inspired rise in the costs of social care and the money available within the local authority pot to pay for it. We have also consistently called for a radically new settlement which brings in additional funding while allowing social care to concentrate more firmly on preventative and enabling services’.

Going on to call for a more thorough and open debate, Mr Hay stressed, ‘By all means let us have a debate about prices. But for the sake of transparency and clarity let us also have a debate about costs: and yes, about acceptable levels of profit too. ADASS members and their commissioning colleagues are more than happy to meet with local care providers to discuss ways in which each can help the other to keep costs down, quality up, and to maintain fees as fairly and squarely as we can’.

The issue of care funding certain to remain a hotly-debated topic throughout 2012, with the Government poised to debate the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission in order to establish long-term provision for an ageing demographic. ADASS are amongst those calling for support from MPS for wide-scale care reform and the integration of health and social care services.