The government’s Personal Care at Home Bill could damage the capital’s already over-stretched social care services, London Councils warned today.

The Bill will make councils responsible for providing free home care to older and disabled people considered to have ‘critical’ needs and also require significant help with four or more ‘activities of daily living’, such as dressing or getting out of bed.

The government estimates that around 450,000 people will be eligible for these services nationally. It will make £420m funding available in the first full year the Bill is introduced but also expects local authorities to generate another £250m in efficiency savings to provide the scheme.

Adult social services departments have already been making efficiency savings to ensure they can maintain a high standard of service despite the current economic climate. But they are now being told to use these savings to help fund the government’s new initiative.

London Councils fears this will further strain social services budgets in London, which have been hit by a series of below-inflation finance settlements and a huge loss of funding thanks to changes to the adult personal social services funding formula.

With social care services set to face even greater pressure due to the increasingly ageing population this new burden could push them closer to breaking point.

London Councils is also concerned that the new measure could cause tensions between councils and families when deciding the best care needed for a relative.

Families will likely resist a local authority’s suggestion that their relative’s needs would be better provided in a care home when they can receive care, although limited, at home for free.

London Councils’ Executive Member for Health and Adult Services Councillor Mike Freer said:

“It is perverse that the Department for Health is ordering local authorities to generate yet more efficiency savings to pay for central government initiatives. It’s their scheme – they should fund it.

”This is an enormously emotive issue and we have deep concerns that this will cause arguments between families and local authorities in deciding the most appropriate level of care needed by a relative. This could cause major problems at the most delicate of times.

“Planning and paying for the care of the most vulnerable members of society is one of the most pressing issues facing local authorities today. London’s older and disabled people deserve the very best care we can provide, but heaping new burdens on local authorities like this is lunacy.”