Kent County Council (KCC) has launched a consultation to cut preventative services for older people and adults with complex needs, sparking concern about the impact on vulnerable residents.
KCC wants end funding and delivery of commissioned Wellbeing Services in the Community and Community Navigation when contracts finishes in March 2025.
The aim is to create annual savings of £3.45m to help balance the council’s budget.
KCC says the proposals are not to do with its duty to meet the eligible needs of adults for care and support and it will continue to meet its responsibilities toward people with assessed eligible needs, irrespective of these proposals.
Wellbeing Services in the Community and Community Navigation aim to help people take a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing, increase independence, and prevent, reduce or delay the need for additional care and support services.
All Wellbeing Services in the Community and Community Navigation commissioned contracts currently cost (financial year 2024-25) a total of £17.41million.
KCC proposals:
- Reduce the level of funding for Wellbeing Services in the Community that support people over the age of 55 and redesign the way they are provided. Such as peer support or creative and physical activities.
- Stop funding the Community Navigation services that support people over the age of 55. Community Navigators help people in need of information and guidance, emotional and practical support, or help to access a range of community or health and social care services.
- Stop funding the ‘Innovation Fund’ in the Mental Health Community and Wellbeing Service for adults of all ages. This provides small pots of short-term funding for providers to test new approaches that may inform longer-term improvements.
The removal of the Community Navigation service will impact people across Thanet and East Kent. Last year, the service supported 4,400 people in East Kent, 97% of whom have a disability or long-term health condition. It also played a pivotal role in helping more than 2,000 people apply for benefits last year, as well as supporting with blue badges, housing needs and support to maintain people’s independence at home.
One service user said: “I’m so grateful for the emergency help with food voucher and utility top-ups as my universal credit stopped due to online misunderstanding. I hadn’t eaten for 3 days.”
The Universal Wellbeing programme is set to by reduced 60%. Since its inception, the programme has supported 12% of all over-55s in Thanet, Dover, and Folkestone & Hythe, providing affordable access to life changing community activities.
The services include rehabilitative exercises, activities that prevent physical deterioration, and events designed to build social connections and reduce isolation.
Objectors say the impact of removing these services will affect social services, GPs, social care, hospitals and most importantly, the quality of life for many people in Kent with cuts leaving them at risk of isolation, declining health, and reduced independence.
KCC says residents would still be able to contact the wellbeing services where there would initially be a triage to determine the level of support required. If people are assessed as needing low level support, they would be given information, advice and guidance.
If assessed as needing medium to higher levels the wellbeing service would determine what support is needed and available. If needed, people would be referred/connected with other services such as Social Care Connect.
KCC wellbeing and independence services will also to be provided, and the council will continue to promote other services available in Kent on the Kent Connect to Support website.
Dan Watkins, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: “I understand people will be concerned about the potential impact of this proposal to reduce funding for wellbeing services across Kent. We have worked with our four lead commissioned providers of these services to develop this proposal to mitigate this as much as possible. I can reassure people that those assessed as having eligible care needs will not be impacted and there will be no change to any statutory social care services for residents.
“The council’s need to find significant budget savings this year, and in the future, have been well documented. There continues to be a considerable rise in the number of people accessing adult social care services which currently represents 43.5% of KCC’s overall budget spend. Grants from government and the adult social care council tax levy have fallen well short of actual costs and we must find £54m savings this year to balance the budget for the Adult Social Care service alone.
“Regretfully, this leaves us with no choice but to make some very difficult decisions.
“Since the contracts for the wellbeing providers were put in place in 2019/20 the council has been looking at how it can redesign service delivery to be more targeted and efficient whilst encouraging people take a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing.
“For example, during this time, information and advice services have been enhanced across the council and its partners, but this has caused some areas of duplication. This proposal aims to reduce these duplications and better focus the limited funding that would be available on those residents with mid to high level needs whilst contributing to the much-needed saving of around £3.45m each year.
“The wellbeing services affected by this proposal can, and do, access funding from sources other than the council and we will continue to support them by providing ongoing information on national, regional and local sources of funding and grants.
“I encourage everyone to share their views on this proposal, particularly if you access, or provide wellbeing services in the community.”
The consultation runs from now until 27 January 2025. The outcome of the consultation will go to Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee in March 2025.
To take part in the consultation
Please let us know your views by visiting kent.gov.uk/wellbeingconsultation and completing the online questionnaire.
Paper copies and contact details
If you would like to request paper copies of the consultation material, or if you have any questions about this consultation, please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 03000 415846
If you need any of the consultation material in any other format or language, please email [email protected] or telephone on 03000 42 15 53 (text relay service 18001 03000 42 15 53). This number goes to an answer machine, which is monitored during office hours.
There was plenty of money to build Thanet Parkway station.
and was a success that has been ? when ever i pass it the car parks empty
Always spending money in the wrong places.
They don’t care if the NHS has to pick up the bill, as long as it is not them.
Remember the Iceland bank?
KCC lead by donkeys.
I will be opposing these cuts, i became a councillor to fight cuts by central or county politicians who do not understand the catastrophic effects they have on the people of thanet, as they have not lived here .
Where’s the MP for East Thanet, Polly Billington when we need her? Oh! yes she can’t do anything because its a KCC problem, so just what is she good for?