Council considers introducing charges for telecare service customers as cost pressures keep rising
Lancashire County Council has proposed introducing a charge ranging from £4 to £9 a week for its telecare service customers, so it can afford to pay the increasing costs of running the service.
It comes as councils continue to face rising cost pressures and a lack of government funding, with Hft recently crying out for the UK Government to plug the long-term social care funding gap.
Lancashire County Council’s telecare service, delivered by Progress Lifeline, helps people who may need support to live safely and independently at home.
If the local authority introduces the proposed service charge, it could encourage people in the area to purchase products and services privately, presenting a potential opportunity for telecare suppliers in the area.
To gather feedback from customers, the general public, and social care staff, the council launched a consultation on proposed charges for its telecare service. The consultation was brought to an early close on Monday 8 August 2022 and proposals are in review following initial feedback.
County Councillor Graham Gooch, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “We are facing increasing running costs as the number of people using Telecare has grown and expect further increases due to the telephone service digital switchover.
“We are also aware of other similar technology, which people can use for free or at a lower cost.
“We have been keen to learn from what other authorities are doing and have researched similar schemes before putting forward these proposals.
“Currently, Lancashire County Council is the only authority in the North West that does not charge any residents for a telecare and mobile response service. The average charge for this service in other local authorities is £5.51 a week.”
Service customers will be contacted with the details of any further consultation shortly.
Recently, digital connectivity consultancy FarrPoint estimated that extending telecare services to more over-75s could save the UK’s care providers £14.5 billion by the end of the decade.
