A trust which provides specialised care for adults with learning and physical disabilities in Cheshire East has slammed the funding it receives from the council as 'shameful'.

The Rossendale Trust provides supported living care to adults with learning and physical disabilities, in purpose-built apartments in Sutton and Macclesfield, and in houses in Buxton.

(Image: The Rossendale Trust)

The cost of the tenants' care and support is funded by the local authorities.

The trust's chief executive, Steve Nichols, told the council's adults and health committee this week, it provides up to 30 per cent of the complex care and supported living within the Cheshire East region.

"This year the trust will have an operating deficit of over £400,000 – that's the bit that Cheshire East supports – but an overall deficit in excess of £170,000 and in 2023/24, barring a miracle, we can expect the situation to be much worse," said Mr Nichols.

"The primary reason for this difficult financial situation is the systematic underfunding by Cheshire East over recent years. Currently the day rate, according to a recent national survey, is £15.85, which compares to the national average of £17.90, and sits comfortably in the bottom two in England.

"Unfortunately the trust is getting paid an even lower rate at £15.29 per hour, which could possibly be the worst rate in the UK."

He said the day service, based at Oakwood, looks after 100 people with a learning disability every week.

"Cheshire currently pays a rate of about £6 per hour. This rate has not changed for four years," said Mr Nichols.

"Our recruitment levels are constantly critical, staff retention extremely difficult, agency staff costs prohibitive and we are even losing staff at times to Cheshire East."

He said the trust had received local and national recognition for its work and received various awards.

"We believe that Cheshire East should be suitably rewarding and protecting those providers who are significant partners, who have shown outstanding loyalty and recognised achievement over a sustained period," said Mr Nichols. "The way Rossendale Trust has been supported in recent years is, frankly, shameful."

Helen Charlesworth-May, director of adults, health, and integration, said: "Clearly we have seen some very significant pressures on prices over the past two years and that is having a direct impact on our providers, which is difficult for them to sustain, but equally difficult for us to sustain within the context of the amount of money available for adult social care."

She added: "We recognise that supported living and care at home is absolutely the cornerstone of the care we want to support in Cheshire East. We need, over time, to move from a position of funding people competitively to a position of more collaborative working in partnership with providers such as Rossendale Trust. We do hope to increase the amount we will be paying to Rossendale in this next 12 months."

Committee chair Jill Rhodes (Lab) told Mr Nichol the council is facing extremely difficult budget considerations.

Cllr Jill Rhodes (Photo: Cheshire East Council)

"This committee is £8.9m overspent," she said. "Unfortunately the government doesn't recognise the need of vulnerable adults in the way it does of vulnerable older people and we don't get the same level of support as a council."

Cllr Rhodes said about two thirds of the council's budget is spent on vulnerable adults and children.

"We are already overspent and the council can't have that position next year because it does not have the reserves to cover such a deficit next year," she said.