The BBC reports that more than 60,000 adults with disabilities and long-term illnesses in England were chased for debts by councils last year after failing to pay for their social care support at home.
**Trigger Warning – Upsetting Content**
Extracts
Only people who have the highest need for help, and savings or assets of less than £23,250, are eligible for council-subsidised care in England.
Paula Robinson, from Greater Manchester, says she was “shocked and distraught” to receive a letter from her council warning of potential legal action, even while she was appealing against the increased charges that drove her into £3,000 of debt.
She has ME – also known as chronic fatigue syndrome – and an endocrine disorder, and says the stress of the debt led her to question whether “life's worth living”.
The amount the council charged for her social care package – including visits from carers who prepared meals and helped with bathing – had risen by more than £4,000 a year, from £10 a week to £93 a week.
Paula lives on benefits and says the increased charges “wiped out” her ability to pay for vitamins and physiotherapy that help ease her ME.