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02/11/09 : Community Care: West Berkshire's "demand management" shows the stark difference between Labour and the Tories :
Mike Orton, Labour's Lead Councillor for Community Care and Health, says recent decisions by Tory-controlled West Berkshire show the stark contrast between Labour and the Tories.
As he explained to Reading's Cabinet on 2 November: "West Berkshire has been providing services only to those in critical need. They are now introducing, as I understand them, "demand management." This means rationing services and in effect creating a waiting list. If an elderly person in critical need approaches them when there is deemed to be full capacity at the time they will only get the appropriate service when someone requires less care or no longer needs any care or a service. People assessed as 'critical' would still be eligible for care but they will have to wait for it until there is capacity or money in the system. It isn't clear from the information that I have if and how they are prioritising people within a waiting list.
"It appears that West Berkshire are facing the same issues as Reading Council. Both have pressures on the budget for elderly care, which is in line with what is happening all over the country. Reading has an increase in overall Council balances due to a VAT refund; it appears that West Berkshire have what some have called "bloated" Council reserves of money.
"The similarity stops here. You will recall that at the Council meeting on 13 October 2009 the Reading Conservatives voted against a proposal from Labour councillors, which was supported by the Liberal Democrats, to protect care services for the elderly. Conservatives councillors argued that there would have to be "cuts across the board."
"Their Conservative colleagues in West Berkshire have now revealed exactly what this means and what the Conservatives would do if ever they get the chance here. From the evidence from West Berkshire, they would cut vital care services to elderly people because the needs of elderly people in need of care are a much lower priority to them than spending less on these services. "Reading Council provides services to people with "critical," "substantial" and "greater moderate needs." West Berkshire have only been providing services for people with critical needs and now they are cutting back on even that."
Labour candidate for Reading West Naz Sarkar adds: "West Berkshire Tory Cabinet member Joe Mooney was quoted as saying 'someone looking for a place in a care home would need to have greater need than before'.
"So having previously only met critical need, West Berkshire Tories are now only going to meet critical-plus! I wonder what their friend Mr Sharma, who was quoted in the same paper as saying the Tories "will reward those who take responsibility and care for those who can't" thinks of that.
"I can tell you what I think. I think that Labour is absolutely right to be proposing a National Care Service in which people get the care and support they need wherever they are in the country, a simple system in which people know exactly what to expect from the system and what they need to do to get help, a system where care is built round people's individual needs, and one which is sustainable and affordable for everyone.
"Not one where Tories like Joe Mooney can whip care away from people in critical need to keep within the bottom line. Not that he is alone, for at the last Reading Council meeting the Tories voted to cut services for just these groups of vulnerable people and for just the same budget-driven reasons. The choice next year could really not be more stark."
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