In 2022, more than 60,000 adults with disabilities and long-term illnesses were pursued by councils in England for debts resulting from unpaid charges for their home-based social care support. Many of these individuals are unable to afford the charges due to the rising costs of living with disabilities such as food prices, rent prices, and additional healthcare expenses.
Nearly all areas of England require social care recipients to contribute towards their home care. However, previous research found that charges had risen significantly, leaving some people with thousands of pounds of additional expenses annually.
In England, only individuals with the highest need for help and savings or assets of less than £23,250 are eligible for council-subsidised care. The council charges for most people’s social care packages, including visits from carers who prepare meals and help with bathing.
These charges have skyrocketed by over £4,000 annually, completely eradicating some people’s ability to pay for things like vitamins and physiotherapy that help ease their illnesses. This has led to a decline in many people’s physical health.
Some individuals with disabilities have reported feeling that they had no choice but to forego home care. Others expressed concern and fear about the involvement of bailiffs.
A spokesperson for Doddler explained: “The campaign group Disabled People Against Cuts argued that the charges were discriminatory, leaving disabled individuals with insufficient money to live on.”
“They stated that councils often failed to consider all the additional expenses that disabled individuals face in maintaining their health and wellbeing, such as accessible transport, adapted clothing, or special dietary requirements.”
The group claimed that financial assessments were often rushed by local authorities and that some assessments had not been updated to account for recent increases in energy bills and rent.
In 2021-22, councils took legal action against 330 people, with the Local Government Association stating that this was the “last option”. Data from 79 of 152 local authorities in England showed that councils initiated over 60,000 debt collection procedures against social care claimants living in the community in 2021-22.
Councillor David Fothergill of the Local Government Association stated that rising demand and limited budgets necessitated the collection of owed funds, but that legal action was a last resort.
Rochdale Borough Council stated that it employs full financial assessments to ensure that payments are fair and takes a “sensitive, case-by-case approach” to debt recovery.
However, Campaigner Rick Burgess from Disabled People Against Cuts is calling for all councils to update claimants’ assessments to reflect the rising cost of living and to provide better support to those struggling with repayments.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that regulations ensured that local authorities left claimants with a set amount of money to live on, known as the “minimum income guarantee”, after their social care charges had been paid.
The amount changes to meet different people’s circumstances. In Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, expected contributions to social care are lower than in most councils in England.
