A SENIOR councillor is calling for a new approach to care in the community in Worcestershire.
Richard Udall wants Worcestershire County Council to help to establish a Home Care Co-operative in the county.
The Labour stalwart, who represents St John’s, has written to the authority’s director of adult services Mark Fitton and cabinet member for adult social services Mel Allcott, urging them to consider setting up a not-for-profit care model.
COUNCILLOR: Richard Udall says Home Care Cooperatives are often cheaper than private companies and have better working conditions for staff (Image: Richard Udall)
Cllr Udall said: “Home Care Co-operatives are often much cheaper than their private sector competitors, mostly because they don’t operate on a profit motive, they are customer focused and pay higher rates of pay with better working conditions.
“They could be either worker-owned, consumer-owned or a mix of both, putting the customer at the heart of the business, not the profit motive which currently dominates the industry in Worcestershire.”
Worcestershire County Council currently outsources home care services to private providers, having previously employed its own care staff.
Cllr Udall claims the current model leads to poor working conditions, low pay, and rushed care visits.
He said: “I have spoken to a number of residents who receive home care, they often feel their care is rushed, is inadequate or too expensive.
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“Some have been dropped by Home Care providers at short notice because their needs are either too complex or too expensive, putting them at serious risk.
“A co-operative, which is owned and controlled by its membership, not operating for private profit, but putting the customer at the centre of all they do, is a solution which has been used very successfully elsewhere”.
He believes a co-operative model would improve both care standards and working conditions.
Mr Udall said: “I would like Worcestershire to become a co-operative caring council which puts the individual patients and workers first, a Co-operative Home Care Service is a solution whose time has come, it must now be an option we must consider”.
A spokesperson for the council said: “Worcestershire County Council currently commissions in the region of 40,000 hours of home care for its residents every week.
“Care is commissioned against a strict specification, and our contracts require high service and operational standards, in line with all legal requirements, including employment, from those providers under that contract.
“The county council monitors performance against the contract, working closely with any provider where improvement is required, and may ultimately remove the contract in the event of any serious issue or lack of sustained improvement as identified.
“Our current contract for home care remains in force until March 2029, and the county council has no plans to remove or replace the contract earlier than scheduled.
“It is usual practice, upon recommissioning care, to undertake a full market appraisal, needs assessment and review of the optimal means of care delivery that ensures high-quality care at a cost that can be afforded under the public purse.”
