CHARITIES are warning elderly people could be driven into poverty as the cost of care rises.

Figures revealed more than £11m is owed to the county council from people who receive personal and social care in Oxfordshire.

At the end of May, 857 people owed a total of £3.5m in arrears for the care they received, an average of about £4,000 a person.

A further £7.5m is owed from deferred payments and invoices that are not yet due for payment, bringing the total debt to £11m.

The figure is an increase from May 2013 when 696 people were in £2.9m worth of arrears, with a total debt of £9.4m.

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Age UK Oxfordshire chief executive Paul Cann said older people who received care from the county council were finding it increasingly hard to cope.

He said: “It is not surprising but it is deeply alarming more people are getting into debt in relation to social care.

“There are 9,000 people in Oxfordshire who have adult social care needs that are not being met, according to the Personal Social Research Unit.

“It risks driving people who are not in poverty towards poverty.

“That is about not being able to buy food, not being able to keep themselves warm in the winter.”

Spokeswoman Jan Sunman from the Oxfordshire Family Support Network, which works to help those who have relatives with learning disabilities, added: “I think it is an issue that people have been pushed further and further towards poverty.

“People who are on fixed incomes are going to have to dig deeper to pay for increased costs.”

There are 6,732 people who currently receive long-term social care in the county and another 12,000 receive short term or one- off care each year.

The county council’s total budget for adult social care is about £209m.

For many types of care provided by the county council, such as home and respite care, people have to pay a means-based contribution.

People with an income or savings below £14,250 do not have to pay and people with more than £23,250 have to pay the full amount themselves.

The Oxford Mail spoke to several people who receive care from the council, all of whom said they were worried about the impact the rising cost of care might have on them, particularly should they have to start making contributions.

War hero and Rose Hill resident Bill Buckingham gets a disability grant but said it would be hard to cope if he had to pay and worried others who were just over the benefit threshold would struggle.

His views were echoed by George Roberts, from Eynsham, whose wife Maureen has dementia and receives care. He said the fear of debt always hanged over them.

Since May 2013, the average weekly cost of home care has risen from £187 to £206 and the average weekly cost of care home care has jumped from £563 to £587.

Those who contribute must pay within 28 days of receiving an invoice or could have their benefits suspended if they fail to respond to subsequent reminder letters.

County council spokesman Chris Birdsall said if a person had “genuine difficulties” paying, the council would review the situation.

He added: “All service users receive a means-tested financial assessment and should be able to afford their contribution as that contribution is based on their ability to pay.

“Recovery is a last resort after we have worked to look at all the options and to understand fully why people cannot pay.

“In addition, social services may request that, due to exceptional circumstances, a waiver should be applied so that the assessed contribution need not be paid for a specified period.

“The council does not stop providing the service as it has a legal obligation to provide it.”

Mr Birdsall said if people were unable to pay their bills due to issues such as learning disabilities, their social worker should be able to see if someone else could manage their finances on their behalf.

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “With unrealistic assumptions behind the government have imposed cuts on the county council, the actual costs of care packages are rising faster than the public support available, and also faster than the ability of many people to pay privately.

“The increasing number of elderly and disabled people needing care means that this crisis is going to continue to get worse unless there is radical reform of the social care system, and more, not less, public expenditure on it.”

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood and Witney MP David Cameron were both on holiday and could not comment, while Henley MP John Howells and Wantage MP Ed Vaizey did not respond to requests.

‘There’s always a fear hanging over us’ EYNSHAM resident Maureen Roberts, 80, has received care from the county council for the past two-and-a-half years.

Carers visit the dementia sufferer’s home every morning and evening. Her husband George Roberts, 71, said: “We are very lucky at the moment, we are getting just enough care. We do not pay a contribution towards our care at the moment.

“But I really fear that I may have to contribute in the future. It is always hanging over us.”

Former Lord Mayor Bill Buckingham

PENSIONER NEEDS A GRANT FOR HIS CARE

WAR hero and Rose Hill pensioner Bill Buckingham pays a contribution to the county council for carers to visit his home every morning.

The former Lord Mayor of Oxford and Labour councillor said he would struggle without extra support.

The 94-year-old, who joined the 4th Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in 1938, said: “I was fortunate because I had Age Concern who got me a disabled grant and that helps me to pay for the care.

“Without that it would be a real struggle because I am 94 now. I imagine people can really struggle.

“I think if people have got plenty of money they should pay.

“But I think it is difficult for people in the middle who don’t have enough to pay but have more money than the threshold where they would get it free. But times are tough for the county council as well.”

FUNDING VITAL TO HELP CARE FOR FOUR SONS

LUCY Baxter is the mother of four adopted men with Down’s syndrome.

She is mum to James, 33, Titus, 19, Raphael, 11 and 28-year-old Otto, pictured above – who has worked as an actor and had a documentary written about his quest for love.

Her sons receive a monthly stipend for her to organise care so the three adult men can have independence, and a smaller amount for Raphael.

She said: “I’ve always thought that it’s quite generous and it’s incredibly important to the boys.

“If they lost this help they would be devastated, they would end up relying on their ageing mum.”

The 57-year-old Abingdon resident recently had an issue after a social worker reduced her son Otto’s entitlement from £2,500 to £700 a month.

This has subsequently been resolved, but since the Government has closed the independent living fund (for which her three eldest are eligible) it is likely their allowance will be cut in September.

She said she would have trouble caring for her four sons, who are dependent on home care, by herself.

She is a full-time mum and does not have a permanent income.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Care which people have to contribute towards

ALERT service – Telecare alarm equipment for vulnerable and older adults

Care home placements

Home support – a range of personal care and support services to help people live in their own homes

Respite care – a short stay in a care home or a care home with nursing or other suitable accommodation

Supported living – a range of housing and support services for vulnerable adults

Extra Care Housing

Shared Lives service

Day services for older people enabling them to live in the community

Support for people with dementia aged under 65

Support for people with acquired brain injury aged under 65

Foot care for older people who are unable to cut their own nails safely

Learning disability daytime support

Transport

Community meals

Care people do not have to contribute towards