‘Risk of serious harm’ if council goes ahead with telecare charges, say disabled campaigners

Disabled people will be left at risk of serious harm if a council goes ahead with plans to introduce new charges for one of its “vital” care services, a disabled people’s organisation has warned.

Difference North East has told Hartlepool council that it has failed to assess the “full implication and impact” of the planned charges.

They believe many disabled people will be forced to give up the council’s telecare service, even though it keeps them “safe and independent in their own homes”.

The telecare service provides body-worn devices which can trigger a call for help, and other assistive technology such as fire and gas alarms that activate a warning to a response centre in an emergency.

The service is currently available free to disabled people who qualify for support under the Care Act.

But from next month the council plans to bring in charges of between £5 and £12 a week* – up to £624 a year – for the service, plus a one-off charge of about £50 to install a key safe.

The council admitted in a report last year that it believed “some people currently benefitting from the service at no charge will opt out when the charges are introduced”.

Difference North East (DNE) wants the council to scrap the charges, or at least pause them so it can carry out a proper consultation.

It believes the council has carried out “little to no consultation” with existing telecare-users and other local people about the changes.

In an open letter to the council, DNE says: “We are concerned that the full implication and impact of these new charges has not been assessed properly; that local people will be left at risk if they cannot afford, or refuse to pay, these charges.

“These extra costs mean Disabled people have less money in their pocket than non-disabled people, or they go without.”

The letter adds: “Social care is not a luxury, it is a human right.”

It also calls on the council to learn from the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, the only council in England where non-residential care is free.

Claire Andrews, DNE’s development manager, said: “This is not the right time to introduce charges without a full and meaningful consultation and we are worried that the wider impact of this decision has not been assessed properly.

“Local people tell us they cannot afford to pay, they tell us that they plan to unplug the device and go without, leaving themselves at risk of serious harm and that’s not right.

“This runs the risk of creating two-tier care systems; care being offered to those who can afford to pay and denied to those who can’t.

“Disabled people are already facing some of the biggest cuts to their income and this will inevitably put further strain on unpaid carers, local charities and other health and social care services.”

DNE also points to a report from Disability Law Service (DLS), which found that rising home care charges were having a negative effect on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of disabled adults and their family members.

The DLS report also found that “very few” councils were fulfilling their public sector equality duty when imposing charges, for example by failing to assess the costs and benefits of their charging policy; not using discretion in waiving charges; and failing to consult disabled people and disabled people’s organisations.

A Hartlepool Borough Council spokesperson said in a statement: “We welcome the feedback provided by Difference North East and a written response has been provided.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible for the council to continue providing telecare services free of charge due to increasing demands for the service, rising costs of equipment and staffing, and the significant financial pressures all councils are facing.

“The majority of councils in the north-east, and across the country, have already been charging for these services for a number of years.

“We understand that people are concerned about the introduction of charges for telecare services, and in response to the comments we have received from existing service-users we have taken a number of actions to minimise the impact for those affected including introducing a discount for couples, delaying the implementation date and offering support for people to access the benefits they are entitled to.”

*The actual charges are £6 for a basic service or £14.40 for an enhanced service, including VAT, but the council says disabled people are exempt from paying the VAT, so they would pay £5 or £12 per week

Picture by Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street 

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