More than half the carer respite beds commissioned by cash-strapped Stoke-on-Trent City Council could be scrapped as part of measures to cut costs.

The authority currently commissions 11 care home beds on a block booked basis, with each bed costing it £650 a week, to enable carers to take a much-needed break from their role and ensure the person they care for is still looked after in their absence.

But the service is underused, a report to the Adult Social Care, Health Integration and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee said. And proposals to slash the number of beds from 11 to just five have been put forward as part of the council's bid to save more than £20m and avoid bankruptcy.

The report said: "Local authorities are required by law to ensure an adult's care and support needs are met if they are significant enough to impact their wellbeing or safety if not met. These eligible social care needs can be met by the city council offering informal carers a break from their caring role by supporting the person with care and support needs to spend a short period of time in a care home bed.

"Informal carers, such as spouses and family members, want to be able to care for their loved ones in the family setting for as long as possible. However, this can be stressful, placing pressure on some carers that may risk the ability for families to cope and their loved one need more formal, institutionalised care.

The authority currently commissions 11 care home beds, each costing £650 a week (Nub News).

"In order to support carers to fulfil their caring role and prevent people requiring more formal care, the city council needs to continue to offer support for carers, including respite and short breaks from the caring role that is flexible for carers. However feedback from carers and evidence across the country shows that bed-based options are underutilised and seen as the preferred option for a smaller group of individuals.

"Commissioners will therefore be looking at flexible alternatives to meet future need such as sitting services. In the unlikely event that additional capacity is required in addition to the remaining five block booked beds then occasional spot purchasing of respite beds will still possible within the existing market."

The reduction in beds would save the council £203,000 a year, the report to Thursday's meeting added. But committee members put forward reasons why they thought the service was underused.

Councillor Chandra Kanneganti said: "You could have commissioned it differently – pay as you go would be better than block booking. It's not being utilised because people are not aware of the service."

Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough said: "I have residents who don't want their loved ones being disrupted or moved, they want to retain their loved one in their own surroundings. A number of residents come to me and say it isn't so much of a respite because they come back and they are frustrated because they have had this disruption in their lives.

Councillor Heather Blurton said: "As somebody who knows about this service, it's probably underutilised because of how difficult it is to get it. The difficulty residents have to obtain a care bed is beyond belief.

"I'm not surprised it's being underutilised – I have raised it before with the difficulty. I think we're cutting our nose off to spite ourselves.

"If it was properly used and easier to utilise the service we would see it absolutely thrive. We should be making sure our carers are looked after as much as possible."

Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for adult services, replied: "I wouldn't disagree with that – I don't think carers get the recognition they deserve. They do some absolutely unbelievable work out there."

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