‘Underhand tactics’ could still see disabled people forced into care homes, say campaigners

A council has been accused of using underhand tactics to cut millions of pounds from support packages and push disabled people into residential care, despite being forced to withdraw a controversial policy that could have had the same impact.

The grassroots group Bristol Reclaiming Independent Living (BRIL) said Bristol City Council was still trying to bring in the much-criticised policy “through the back door”, as it aims to save nearly £7 million from its funding of adult care and support packages in 2024-25.

Only last month, the council was forced to withdraw its draft Fair and Affordable Care Policy, which said disabled people could be offered a “residential or nursing home placement” if “a care package to remain at home would substantially exceed the affordability of residential care”.

It withdrew the draft policy after being threatened with legal action by BRIL, which argued that the proposals breached the Care Act, the Human Rights Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The council instead set up a new group to “consider how to build a system to fairly allocate Adult Social Care funding within the agreed budget to meet the diverse needs of the population”.

But BRIL says that budget plans published last month (PDF) show the council now intends to increase the number of reviews of anyone receiving at least 40 hours care and support a week or a package worth at least £920 a week, to ensure the council is “delivering best value”.

BRIL fears this will again raise the possibility of disabled people being forced into residential care, and that it will deliver “an identical policy, just with a different name”, and that “best value” will mean a care home placement.

There are also serious concerns that a consultancy being used by the council to carry out “strengths-based” reviews of the support packages will receive a share of all the costs they manage to cut.

And BRIL fears that the temporary “locum” social workers the council is recruiting to carry out reviews will be paid bonuses according to how much they save the council by cutting care packages, just as happened in Southampton eight years ago.

The policy will affect nearly 200 people with what the council calls “complex” packages of support, with 34 of them being identified as “overdue” an annual review.

Analysis of the council’s latest budget documents (PDF) shows the council is now aiming to save nearly £7 million from its funding of adult care and support packages in 2024-25.

This includes more than £1.2 million by reviewing more care packages to ensure disabled people are “enabled to be as independent as possible” and to “support approaches which focus on an individuals’ personal strengths”.

Another £1 million will be found by focusing on “reablement” which will mean “more people go on to achieve improved independence, resulting in the need for less care and therefore reduced costs”.

The council also plans to cut costs by £1.35 million by reviewing the packages of disabled people who have left hospital after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, which the council says will “support and improve independence, resulting in the need for less care and therefore reduced costs”.

Another £1.785 million will be cut by reviewing housing-related support which currently “helps people stay living independently in their homes”, while £1.5 million will be saved by reducing the number of longer-term care packages by increasing reviews of people who have moved from hospital into residential or nursing care.

Mark Williams, BRIL’s co-founder, told Disability News Service (DNS) they were “very worried and very angry”.

He said: “Very worried for all disabled people in Bristol and everywhere else, as if it’s coming here, it could be the same for everywhere.”

A BRIL spokesperson added: “We can only conclude that Bristol City Council has decided not to invest in the lives and futures of disabled people and families, and instead taken a short-term and budget-led approach that will cost all of us more, in human, social and economic terms.”

Bristol City Council had failed to comment by noon today (Thursday), despite being approached by DNS last Friday.

Picture: City Hall, Bristol

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