The Government must ensure that local councils provide adequate funding to keep care centres running, UNISON has announced.
Stating that the widespread closure of day care facilities was removing a vital lifeline for the vulnerable, the union said that resultant issues had meant that cuts to support centres represented a false economy.
A recent survey of social care workers, undertaken on behalf of UNISON by the University of Birmingham’s health services management centre, found that 57% of those questioned had seen the closure of day care centres.
Facilities for elderly people were hardest hit, according to the report, followed by those for individuals with learning or physical disabilities.
Where centres had not been shut down, the report found that 71% of social workers had witnessed a change in provision as access restrictions were put in place.
Increasing charges for attendance, meals and transport were reported by two-thirds of those questioned, with certain care facilities stopping free meals or greatly increasing charges.
Heather Wakefield, UNISON head of local government, said that with the situation worsening, Government cuts would continue to hit the most vulnerable.
‘The Government needs to face up to the crisis in care and ensure that local councils are given the funding they need to keep day care centres open,’ Wakefield affirmed.
