A RADICAL plan by Scotland's largest council to stop paying for social care by the hour has been criticised as forcing disabled care users to pay the price of fair wages for care workers.
Glasgow City Council is planning a major shake up the delivery of social work services as it struggles to deal with rising costs.
The new plans, backed by the council's executive committee, have come under fire from some groups but other care providers have given the idea a cautious welcome.
The council has warned the introduction of a £9 national minimum wage could hike the city's social work budget by £21million a year, mainly to bring pay up from the current average of around £7.50 an hour paid by providers.
Of £247m spent on social care services per year by the council, £160m is currently going to companies who currently are unlikely to pay anywhere near the new national minimum wage, said councillor Matt Kerr, executive member for health and social care.
As a result the council is now planning to abandon the traditional model of commissioning much social care by the hour. Charities and other care providers will be asked to innovate and find ways of delivering 'holistic' help for people with disabilities or other care needs, while using less staff time.
Initially six organisations will be involved in the trial, which could cut waste and increase use of technology.
This will make it possible for organisations to absorb additional costs like the hike in the minimum wage, and increased pay for those working sleepover shifts, following an EU ruling.
Social care needs investment, not more cuts
Mr Kerr said that simply to enable providers to meet increased costs would mean a rise in the Social Work Services budget of £21m. However this would not allow for "a single second" of additional care, he warned.
Paying for care by the hour is the normal approach and makes it easier to ensure public money is being well spent.
However the council wishes to test a different model, moving away from measuring out social care by the hour. He said. "In its place will be a holistic provision of support to individuals that makes maximum use of community-based assets and local social networks."
Providers will not be asked to support care users for a set amount of time, but instead to deliver 'positive and sustainable outcomes' for them, he said.
The council has not revealed which care suppliers will be involved in the test scheme - which is to be concluded by June 2017.
However they will have scope to deliver and develop their own solutions. These are expected to included more telecare, less bureaucracy and use of care support networks within communities.
A spokesman for the council said Glasgow was facing an unprecedented financial challenge and had to look at new ways of delivering services.
He said: “Reviewing how we procure services from the voluntary and charitable sector is sensible and necessary. We hope to stimulate innovation within the social care system that achieves positive outcomes for the service users and helps us to run services more efficiently."
Ian Hood of the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland said: “We would view this proposal with some concern. Does the council really expect people who need social care to fund the National Minimum Wage out of further reductions in support packages?
“Providers are likely to have little choice but to go along with it. I note that at no point have they asked service users what they think of this process."
Annie Gunner Logan, director of the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland said: "Providers and councils alike realise there is little mileage in attempting to suppress the cost of care. Other councils are talking along similar lines because this is about facing up to the reality - the financial squeeze on providers has mainly come out of pay and staff terms and conditions."
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