Dismay as Age UK's Help at Home service is scrapped

Age UK's Help at Home service allows vulnerable pensioners to live independent lives in their own homes.

It matches them with helpers who provide them with regular contact – a vital lifeline for many who have no family around them.

But now the service is being axed because it is no longer "financially sustainable".

And it means some people who work for the charity will lose their jobs.

A trade union says the decision to inform staff just before Christmas was "incredibly callous".

Most of the service's clients are aged over 80, with some clients over 100.

Relatives have praised the service for the reassurance it provides their elderly loved ones.

The service lost its public funding in 2012 and was forced to charge clients a small fee in order to keep going.

Trade union Unison said the service had always managed to cover its costs, with occasional help from grants, but now faced immediate closure.

"This will be a huge loss for the older population of Brighton and Hove," it said.

"And it will have a big impact on social work and health professional who rely on it to meet the needs of many clients and prevent their need for more acute services.

"Many people across the city will no longer be able to live independently in their own homes and will be forced out of them.

"The staff and carers responsible for improving lives and helping so many people live with dignity, paramount to the services’ success are now facing the new year unemployed.

"Crucially, older, vulnerable and isolated people will now be left without support, hospital admissions will no doubt rise and Brighton will be a worse place to grow old."

Matt Webb from the union said staff morale had been very low when the previous boss left.

He said: "There was great hope when Simon Dowe took over.

"That hope was short-lived however as the first thing he has done has been to propose the closure one of the most vital services the charity provides to our city because it is in his words 'unsustainable'.

"Other Age UK branches around the country all manage to run similar services – Unison members have been asking for Age UK Brighton & Hove to look into how these operate sustainably but we have been told that any such consideration is off the table.

"They are determined to close it at any cost and determined not to be distracted whilst doing so.

“Simon Dowe took the decision to close the service on October 26 but management waited until just before Christmas to inform affected staff.

"Along with festive letters from their loved ones on Christmas Eve our members were getting letters 'consulting' with them on their upcoming dismissal.

"The decision to do this over Christmas is either incredibly disorganised or horribly callous, perhaps both, but certainly not necessary.”

Age UK Brighton and Hove said in a statement: "Age UK Brighton and Hove has taken the difficult decision to close its Help at Home service.

"Help at Home offers older people in Brighton & Hove practical support with daily household tasks and garden maintenance.

"A recent review of the service indicated that the existing operating model is not financially sustainable, nor does it adhere to the Age UK preferred service model.

"The charity will therefore be closing Help at Home but will be working with service users to ensure they continue to receive the support they need.

"The home helps and gardeners working within Help at Home are self-employed, so it’s likely that many people using the service will want to create a private arrangement with those individuals.

"This would mean that their existing support can continue, although it would be a direct arrangement with the home help or gardener, rather than one managed by Age UK Brighton & Hove.

"If individuals would like to take the opportunity to find new helpers, Age UK Brighton & Hove’s Information and Advice team can talk them though the options."

Simon Dowe, interim chief executive at Age UK Brighton & Hove, said “We’re sorry that the closure of our Help at Home service might disappoint our clients, but we’ll be working with those affected to help them source alternative support.

"Most people are likely to stick with the home helps and gardeners they already use and have built relationships with, so they’ll see little difference on a day to day basis.

“We don’t want anyone to feel worried about these changes. If individuals have any concerns at all, they can talk them through with our information & advice team, who are on hand to help each weekday.

"I’d urge people to give them a ring if they are unsure about this issue, or anything else related to later life. Support is just a phone call away.”

"Unfortunately, the closure of the Help at Home service may result in some redundancies within Age UK Brighton & Hove.

"The charity is consulting and supporting the individuals affected.

"This is a confidential process and Age UK Brighton & Hove cannot comment on the details of the consultations.

"Age UK Brighton & Hove has a responsibility to provide high quality, safe and sustainable services to older people locally.

"The charity is working with staff, volunteers and service users to inform its future direction while also aiming to reduce its deficit, improve the quality of services and represent older people across the city."