Budget Proposal 2024/25: Restructure Adult Social Care (ASC) care home charges

Activity closed. Results published.

Background

West Berkshire Council's (WBC) Adult Social Care Service currently has three care homes and while most of the residents are funded by the council, a small number of residents pay the full cost, or are funded by another local authority or the NHS.

The cost to the council of purchasing a bed in a privately run care home is currently an average of £1,133.00 per week.

Birchwood has 60 beds available, and currently has 40 residents. 9 of which pay the full cost or funded by another local authority.

Notrees has 18 beds available, and currently has 13 residents. 3 of which pay the full cost or funded by another local authority.

Willows Edge has 37 beds available, and currently has 31 residents. 8 of which pay the full cost or funded by another local authority.

To date we have not charged these individuals what it actually costs us to provide the placement. Details of the current and actual costs are as follows:

Legislation Requirements

The Care Act 2014 governs what services the council should provide as part of an individual's care package and what services the council does not need to provide.

Currently, the council does not have to provide a placement to individuals that would be considered self-funders, but as a council we have chosen to do this.

What we are proposing

To increase how much we charge for a bed, as detailed below for each home. This is above the normal annual inflationary rate (4.6% in 2024/25).

Based on the current numbers of residents this would generate £78,000 per year.

*Please note: Willows Edge Care Home is subject to another budget proposal to either close or find an alternative provider to run it. You can find more information here.

Following the consultation, if the decision is taken to close the home, this income will be lost. If an alternative provider is found, then the charge may be different than proposed here. 

What we think the impact will be

There will be a financial impact on those residents that pay for the full cost of their care. These individuals could choose to move to an alternative care home.

Please refer to the Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) for more details. [33KB]

What else we have considered before arriving at our proposal

The other options we have considered are:

• to increase the fees to the rate that it costs us to provide the placement - this has been discounted due to the size of the increase that would be needed
• to increase the fees by a higher percentage - while this would generate more income it would have a bigger financial impact on those individuals that currently pay for the full cost of their care

Why we want your views

We would like to know how this proposal might impact you and the wider community, and any views you have on how we can minimise the impact of this proposed change, if the decision is taken to proceed.

How to take part

If you'd like to comment on this proposal, please complete our survey by midnight on Thursday, 11 January 2024. It should take about 10 minutes. 

If you have any questions about the consultation, please email asc.consultations@westberks.gov.uk 

For general enquiries about Adult Social Care Services, please visit our webpage.

What happens next

All the feedback we receive will be taken into consideration, and a final decision whether to proceed with this proposal will be made by elected Members at the Full Council Meeting to be held on Thursday, 29 February 2024.

If the decision is made to proceed with this proposal the new charging will be adopted in April 2024.

Back to the main Budget Proposal page