SENIOR Thurrock Council officials have warned adult social care in Thurrock is “reaching a tipping point”, with rocketing demand for services colliding with crippling cuts.

The department has seen a surge in demand for its services at the same time as being asked to slash its budget by a quarter over three years.

Officials say they are worried the cuts will mean the elderly, vulnerable and their young carers will be put at risk.

The warning has come just as the council won national recognition for its “innovative” Local Area Co-ordination scheme to prevent people going into crisis.

Roger Harris, director of adults, health and commissioning, said: “We can’t keep cutting and cutting when demand is growing.

“We are getting near the end when it comes to meeting our statutory responsibilities”

Head of adult services, Les Billingham, added: “We don’t want to send out the message people living longer are becoming a burden – it’s not that.

“It’s that people are living longer, which affects the number of people we support and they are deserving of the best support we can give them.

“The cuts mean we are having to make some very difficult decisions.”

Senior officers are worried their successful experiment in preventing crises will be wasted, as prevention work will be first in the firing line when cuts have to be made.

This, they warn, could lead to a “snowball effect” with an increasing number of people slipping into crisis, which, in turn, would increase the cost to the council, the NHS and the taxpayer in general, rather than saving money.

Dementia and autism rise adds to pressure

CASES of dementia in Thurrock have increased by 67 per cent in two years, figures suggest.

Thurrock Social Services has also seen a 34 per cent increase in people deemed to be “in crisis” in the past year. Nationally, and in Thurrock, autism diagnoses have also increased, with many of the cases being classed as “complex.

The news comes as the borough’s £50 million adult social care budget – about two-fifths of the council’s overall budget – faces being slashed by a further £500,000 next year, on top of a recent 25 per cent cut.

Acclaimed project will be first to go

FRONTLINE services, including a project which stops people slipping into crisis, will be the first casualties of the next round of cuts.

Senior officers say the project, known as Local Area Co-ordination, took a “leap of faith” and has saved the taxpayer tens of thousands, but will be hit by the cuts.

Three local area co-ordinators were appointed on a trial basis in July 2013 to find cheaper ways of reducing clients’ social isolation.

A report last year on the trial said it had resulted in fewer visits to GP surgeries, fewer people going to hospital and less strain on day care services.

By preventing people going into crisis in the first place, the £140,000 trial scheme is thought to have saved the agencies involved about £300,000.

Daniel Gatehouse, Essex strengthening communities manager, said: “The local area co-ordinators in Thurrock have achieved astounding results in a relatively short time, changing the lives of people who had the potential to become dependent on public sector services, or worse, dying.”

Thurrock’s head of adult services, Les Billingham, added: “To have so much evidence of the positive impact of the scheme after just over a year is very satisfying.

"Being able to report the evidence of success was so overwhelming so quickly, is testament to the significance of this.”

Lesley Matthews, from the Thurrock Unsighted People’s Society, described the approach as “absolutely brilliant”, adding: “It’s a personal service that really cares.

“The co-ordinators’ professionalism, timekeeping and communication are outstanding.”

How the scheme is helping people

LOCAL area co-ordination focuses on helping people stand on their own two feet, by helping others.

In the two years of the first trial, local area co-ordinators have made more than 300 such introductions across Thurrock.

CASE STUDY

Mr R is a 69-year-old man with a history of depression who had made multiple suicide attempts.

Mr R expressed the desire to be of help to the community, and a local area co-ordinator helped him to volunteer for the group, Ngage.

As a result, he became a driver for the Royal Voluntary Service and a year later, a psychologist spoke of seeing “a drastic improvement ” in Mr R’s state, avoiding a crisis and possible admission to a mental health unit, at a cost of as much as £445 a day.

Mr R said: “If it hadn’t been for my co-ordinator, I wouldn’t be here now.”