As deadly for a person’s health as smoking, alcohol or obesity

The latest victims of the Tory-led coalition’s austerity agenda are the elderly and vulnerable people who depend on the vital lifeline of a day care centre. A new report for UNISON by the University of Birmingham’s Health Services Management Centre, based on a survey of social care workers, fleshes out a worrying picture of widespread closures, and a drastic hollowing out of those left behind.

The loss of this crucial service is hitting the elderly hard – day centres guard against loneliness which has been shown to be as deadly for a person’s health as smoking, alcohol or obesity. For young people with physical and learning disabilities, day centres help to build an enriching social life and also give parents and carers some much needed respite. By monitoring and improving the physical and mental health of users, centres also keep people out of more expensive care, such as A&E or residential care homes – making cuts a false economy.

In our survey, 57% of social care workers reported day centres closing in their local area. Services for the elderly bearing the brunt of the cuts, followed by those for people with learning and physical disabilities. Sadly, the cuts and closures are not over yet – more than half of the social care workers we quizzed, said they are aware of further changes in the pipeline.

Where day centres are not closing, two thirds say that restrictions are being placed on access to services. 71% say that provision has changed in the last three years. In some areas, only those with a critical need can now access day centres, in others, the hours that people can visit are being drastically reduced.

Two-thirds report increasing charges for attendance, meals and transport. Many of those surveyed said that these fee rises were substantial – in some cases going from a minimal charge to as much as £50 a day. This huge hike is particularly hard for those on fixed incomes to cope with – these are the majority of day centre users. Trips and activities are also being drastically cut, many of which are crucial to the health and wellbeing of day care centre users.

The cuts also mean that some people are being moved to centres further away from home, or being transferred out of specialist centres  into ‘multi-use’ centres – which can be really distressing. Lack of consultation with users, parents and carers over planned changes has also been raised as a huge issue.

The Tory-led coalition’s only response has been to say that councils should make sure they have the services available for the needs of local people. It is a disgrace that the government is attempting to wash its hands of this problem, when it is decisions made in Whitehall to inflict massive cuts on councils that is hitting the already overstetched social care system incredibly hard, leaving families and individuals struggling to cope.

Mr E from the South East of England, has a daughter who is totally dependent on support, and visits a day care centre five days a week,  he said:

“My daughter used to take part in activities every day, including visits to a hydrotherapy pool, which her neurosurgeon and local GPs say is vital for maintaining what is left of her very limited movement. Along with other activities her hydrotherapy sessions have now been cut completely. This has taken a huge toll on my daughter. She is having frequent bouts of crying, and is not sleeping well. It is obvious to my wife and I that she is very distressed. This places an extra strain on us at home. The council is not only neglecting the needs of my daughter, but is also neglecting the needs of parents and carers, as well as deliberately ignoring our basic human rights as parents and carers in our old age.”

“I am extremely worried that my wife is being pushed, once again, to the point where she can no longer cope.  I am becoming increasingly concerned that she will have a nervous breakdown. We are both in our sixties, and on top of the daily stresses and strains, I worry about what will happen when we are not around to look after our daughter.”

The government cannot ignore the needs of elderly and vulnerable people, of parents and caeres any longer. It must urgently needs to face up to the crisis in care and make sure that local councils have enough funding to keep this crucial service running.

This post forms part of our coverage of Unison Conference 2012.