Cheshire West has 387 adults in care placements more than 20 miles outside the borough, at £1,799 a week on average against £806 for a local place.
Cheshire West and Chester Council is paying for 387 adults to live in care placements more than 20 miles outside the borough. On average each one costs £1,799 a week, more than twice the £806 of an equivalent place inside the borough.
The figures come from a scrutiny briefing for the council’s People Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 10 November. Councillors looked into the placements at a session on 5 October.
The 387 people are about 7.1% of all adults receiving care and support that the council commissions.
Young adults cost the most
The briefing says adults placed outside the borough are, on average, younger than others in adult social care.
The most expensive group is young adults aged 18 to 25. Their out-of-borough placements average £3,843 a week. Councillors have asked for more detail on what drives those costs.
Why people are placed so far away
Officers told councillors that gaps in specialist care locally remain “a significant factor”. The briefing lists these gaps:
- mental health services
- care after an acquired brain injury
- bariatric care
- support for emotionally unstable personality disorder
- male-only provision
- specialist nursing for adults with learning disabilities
Some people are placed further away so they can live closer to their family.
The briefing says people placed outside the borough often have complex needs, which pushes costs up. Where they qualify, part of the cost can be shared with the NHS integrated care board.
What councillors want next
The committee is asked to agree these follow-ups:
- an update in six months on bringing people back to the borough and building more local care
- more on dementia care packages and local dementia provision
- a breakdown of costs and reasons for placements of 18 to 25 year olds
- details of debt owed to the council linked to these placements
- a comparison with neighbouring councils’ costs, if officers can get one
The briefing does not give a total annual cost, or say how much debt is outstanding.
Who checks on people placed elsewhere
Safeguarding enquiries are the job of the council where the person lives, not Cheshire West. The briefing says Cheshire West gets information through regional networks and does its own extra checks “where appropriate”.
People placed away keep family contact through open visiting, phone and video calls, and advocates.
What it means for you
If a relative’s care needs mean they are offered a place far from home, the same assessment, approval and review process applies as for a local placement, the briefing says. Financial assessments are the same too, wherever the place is.
The council reported a forecast overspend this month, mostly in children’s services. The briefing says work is under way to reduce reliance on out-of-borough places where appropriate, including dementia provision, its Housing Prospectus and an “18-64 Programme” for working-age adults.
The committee meets at 6pm on Tuesday 10 November. The council webcasts its meetings.
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