Home care time bomb

Thousands of elderly people in the Wyre Forest district could lose their home care because of a £10 million funding shortfall dubbed a "ticking time bomb."

The service, providing care in people's homes, is under threat after a county council task group found there was not enough funding for the next six years.

The service helps people lead as independent a life as possible but the home care scrutiny task group said it was under considerable financial pressure.

Group chairman Councillor Peter Pinfield said action must be taken before the service is "overwhelmed."The number of people aged 65 and over in the county was forecast to rise 13.5 per cent -from 97,000 in 2006 to 110,100 in 2011.

The group concluded the council may have difficulty providing an effective service in the future.

A report goes to the council's full cabinet meeting on March 8.

Councillor Pinfield said: "The current funding gap of £7m to bring us up to the average spend, and our own identified £3million pressure from increasing demographic numbers, gives us an incredible £10million shortfall.Unless this is tackled we will find our backs against the wall.

"We have not got much time in which to put plans and actions together to avert a crisis." Stourport councillor Jill Fairbrother Millis, of the group, said: "This is a very worrying situation - it's a ticking time bomb. We've identified there's a huge problem with the rise in age and the projected needs that people will have.

"The jam is being spread very thinly and we've possibily got two years to get things right. The present care will continue as it is but thousands of people in the Wyre Forest could be affected. They've had to make several million pound cutbacks in social services already."

They might have to consider rationing with only those with the most critical needs being addressed.

By Sol Buckner