SOCIAL care providers are being urged to join the fight to get the Government to put more funding into the care of older and vulnerable adults in their own home.

The Independent Care Group (York and North Yorkshire) is urging all homecare providers and the public to sign an online petition lobbying the Government to act.

The group claims almost £5bn has been cut from local authority budgets over the past four years and is forecasting more cuts to come.

“This has meant fewer and fewer people receiving the care they need for things like getting up, dressing, preparing meals and going to bed at home,” said chair Mike Padgham.

On top of the cutbacks, the sector is also concerned about the introduction of the National Living Wage in April next year, a which they claim will add huge costs to providers’ wage bills and could drive some out of operation.

“Social care is at crisis point with providers and commissioners warning that there could be a major provider failure and a huge loss of care provision for people who need it,” said Mr Padgham.

“The Government has to act on social care funding before the introduction of the National Living Wage or there will be a serious problem with care provision in this country.

“In the meantime, I would urge as many people as possible to sign this petition and show the government the strength of concern about this issue and the way we care for our oldest and most vulnerable citizens.”

The online Save Our Homecare petition, run by the United Kingdom Homecare Association, can be found at http://bit.ly/1Lb9yTk