Rise in Birmingham care home charges
Charges for residents in Birmingham City Council care homes have rocketed by up to £183 a week – days after the local authority said it could only afford a 49p increase in the amount it pays for elderly people to be looked after in private sector residential homes.
The council provoked a storm of protest when it offered private home owners a one per cent rise in fees to continue to care for local authority clients.
The increase, the equivalent of 49p a week on basic non-nursing care rates, was described as financial suicide by home owners and some are refusing to sign new contracts with the council.
At the same time, Cabinet adults and communities member Sue Anderson approved huge increases in the amount the council allows its own homes to charge. A new scale of weekly fees includes:
n People with physical disabilities £600, up from £475 – a 26 per cent increase.
n People with learning disabilities £800, up from £617 – a 30 per cent increase.
n People with mental health needs £550, up from £492 – a 12 per cent increase.
The standard charge for older people without special needs rose by seven per cent to £525, compared to the £350 a week the council is prepared to pay private homes to provide the same service.
The heftiest increase is the weekly charge for short-stay residential care for adults with savings of more than £24,000, up from £146 to £525.
Charges for snacks and meals in council-run day centres have risen by between 15 and 40 per cent.
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