Latest news with #HughKirsch
The Guardian
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on social care: while politicians dither, those in need suffer
The rising human cost of our shamefully inadequate social care system is illustrated by the shocking case of Hugh Kirsch, as reported by the Guardian. Mr Kirsch, who is 66 and has severe learning difficulties, suffered abuse in a previous placement. That home, Mendip House, was closed down. Now his family fear another disruption is on the way. For nine years he has been looked after by Somerset Care, but this organisation has said that it can't keep going on the 0% annual rise offered by Haringey, the London council that funds him. Mr Kirsch may be evicted as a result. His past bad experience makes this story particularly dismaying. But the threat hanging over him is in no way unique. For every dispute over social care costs that garners press attention, there are many others that stay hidden. A 0% increase is tough for providers at any time. But steeply rising costs mean it is currently untenable. This month's increase in employer national insurance contributions has left the social care sector with an estimated £2.8bn bill – and no way of meeting it except by putting up fees. Disturbingly, not-for-profits such as Somerset Care are particularly exposed to these financial risks since they rely heavily on council funding. By contrast, homes with more privately funded residents are in a better position to cross-subsidise places and meet shortfalls. Already, charitable care providers have begun handing back contracts, and there are fears that for‑profit, private-equity-backed businesses could be the only bidders left if non-profits exit the market rather than slash costs. Yet despite this worsening situation on the ground, and warnings of the demographic and financial challenges dating back years, a policy solution to the UK's social care crisis is still years off. Louise Casey, the person chosen by Sir Keir Starmer's government to find a solution and build a cross-party consensus around funding, is widely respected for her bold interventions in highly contested areas. But diverting her from social care to produce a short report on grooming, as ministers did in January, sent a terrible message about the lack of urgency that bedevils this issue. It should have been possible to find someone else in order that the social care work could begin straight away. Given recent upheavals in health policy, it is no wonder that social care is once again stuck on the sidelines. The decision to abolish NHS England, and the upcoming launch of a 10-year plan, are enough to keep any health secretary busy – even one as ambitious as Wes Streeting. But the dangers of doing nothing are not limited to the distress caused to individuals and families caught in the middle of conflicts like the one described above. There is also the risk that the sector as a whole is weakened by further delays. The problems are UK-wide. Scottish non‑profits sent their own appeal to the chancellor in November, after the SNP government scrapped plans for a Scottish national care service. Organisations across the country deserve better from politicians, as do the vulnerable people whose needs they were set up to meet.
The Guardian
21-04-2025
- The Guardian
Pensioner with severe learning disabilities could face eviction over care costs dispute
A pensioner with severe learning disabilities who was a victim of one of the most notorious care home abuse scandals of recent years has been told he faces eviction over a dispute about who pays for the costs of his state-funded care. The family of Hugh Kirsch, 66, said they had been warned he would have to leave his supported home because the council that funds his care refused to increase fees in line with costs and his care provider could no longer afford to subsidise the price. The case is one of a growing wave of evictions of vulnerable residents caused by the crisis in adult social care funding in which hundreds of contract disputes erupt between cash-strapped councils and financially struggling care providers. Kirsch's sister Oona Herzberg said he was 'trapped in the crosshairs of funding issues that have nothing to do with him', and urged his funder, Haringey council, to fulfil its responsibilities to meet his care needs. She told the Guardian: 'It would be cruel and inhuman to evict Hughie. He would be traumatised after what he has been though, and so would we. He would be totally bewildered and upset, and would withdraw inside himself.' Kirsch, who is non-verbal and needs one-to-one care, survived a regime of abuse at his previous residential home, run by the National Autistic Society, in which he and fellow residents were repeatedly taunted, bullied and humiliated by a 'gang of controlling male staff'. An official inquiry into the scandal at Mendip House published in 2018 found residents were slapped, had food thrown at them, were forced to eat chillies, thrown in a swimming pool and had money stolen by staff. His family said he has been living happily for the past nine years in a home supported by not-for-profit provider Somerset Care. Herzberg described it as a 'forever home' for her brother where his carers were 'like family'. It is understood that Somerset Care's contract discussions with Haringey council broke down after the council repeatedly refused to increase its care fees in line with basic costs, which had been inflated by rises in the minimum wage and national insurance (NI). Haringey council confirmed it had offered a 0% fee increase for 2025-26 but insisted 'no decisions' had been taken on Kirsch's care package and that the fee increase it would apply in this case was still under review. A Haringey council spokesperson said: 'We are dedicated to supporting our residents and ensuring they receive the necessary care. As part of this, we always work collaboratively with our providers to ensure a suitable and sustainable solution that prioritises the wellbeing of residents, and this case is no exception.' Somerset Care declined to comment. Kari Gerstheimer, the chief executive of the Access Social Care charity, which offers legal advice for people with social care needs, said councils had a legal duty to meet the assessed and eligible social care needs of people for whom they were responsible. 'Our legal casework indicates that, too often, cash-strapped local authorities are failing to act lawfully, prevaricating, delaying, and leaving social care providers to pick up the bill,' she said. She added: 'Some providers have not seen an uplift in hourly rates for nearly a decade, despite dramatic increases in costs associated with uplifts in the minimum wage and inflation.' A survey of learning disability and autism care providers published in January found many were on the brink financially as they struggled to remain viable in the face of councils' refusal or inability to increase fees to meet the rising cost of services. Local authorities received a 3.2% funding increase for 2025-26, while care provider costs typically rose to 9% as the national living wage increased by 6.7%, and NI wage thresholds were lowered. Several councils are understood to have made across-the-board 0% fee rise offers.
