Suffolk: New debt team to help with social care costs

From April, Suffolk County Council's Accrual, Deferred Payment and Debt Management Team will be launched to work 'closely and holistically with individuals experiencing financial difficulties'.

This week, data obtained from local authorities showed that councils across England had chased more than 60,000 claimants for the cost of their social care.

Clifford Smith with his wife June (Image: Newsquest)

And last week, the EADT reported how Clifford Smith, the county council's first ever chief executive, felt 'trapped, powerless and a failure' as he struggled to care for his wife of 70 years June, who is in a care home with vascular dementia.

The 93-year-old described the emotional and financial toll of the care after being told that because he had some savings and an income, he would not be receiving financial support for the £64,000 annual cost of June's care.

Currently, the rules say that anyone with assets above £24,000 has to pay for care. That figure will change to £100,000 in 2025.

Clifford Smith during his time as chief executive of Suffolk County Council (Image: Newsquest)

“I feel a failure. I feel that way because I won’t be able to leave my children their inheritance, because I can’t even take my wife to Felixstowe in the car and because I can’t remedy any of this situation,” Mr Smith said.

A spokesperson for the county council said civil proceedings had been initiated for recovery of debts in only two cases during the last two years.

He added: “Suffolk County Council always tries to work with individuals who cannot afford to pay their care fees.

"We offer people a detailed financial assessment to ensure that what they are being asked to pay is correct, as well as wider advice around managing debt and accessing additional financial support to help maximise their income.

"Once financial assessments are complete, we explore affordable repayment arrangements for existing debt.

"Legal recovery would only ever be considered after all other avenues have been exhausted and where it has been established that means to repay the debt exist and are affordable."

The difficulties being faced by carers have eased slightly, according to the chair of the Suffolk Association of Independent Care Providers.

Prema Fairburn-Dorai, chair of Suffolk Association of Independent Care Providers (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

Prema Fairburn-Dorai said the easing of restrictions on overseas recruitment had been a big factor, which had enabled her to bring in 150 workers from abroad, including Zimbabwe, Ghana and Indonesia.

In January, the Government announced £200m of funding for extra care home beds to relieve the pressure on hospital and speed up hospital discharge.

Prema said the care sector was still 'chronically underfunded'.

She added: "It is a little bit better. There are a lot of overseas staff now and the pressure is not so great, but social care is still chronically underfunded and we would be able to take on more work if we were able to pay our staff."

However, the 150 workers who have arrived since November have made a difference.

"Over 150 workers have been employed between November and now and that is a big number.

"That has definitely had a big impact on waiting lists. The waiting list for care packages has gone down sharply to a more normal level. 

"The hospitals are not in dire straits and that is purely down to the fact that social care has now got the capacity to take on the packages," Prema added.

Sorting out the social care crisis was 'so important' to making sure that everything else ran smoothly, she said.