Crisis in Care follows the deepening crisis in Adult Social Care in one local authority over 10 months – Somerset County Council. Nearly half of Somerset’s annual budget is spent on Adult Social Care. Last summer it was on the brink of going bust – the financial pressures faced here are also being felt across the country.
Rogan Productions together with BBC Social Affairs Correspondent, Alison Holt, were granted exclusive access to see first-hand the difficulties faced by Somerset’s Director of Adult Social Services, his team of social workers and local politicians. The programmes show the impact of the financial squeeze on vulnerable people in Somerset and the harsh truth of what that means for those needing care. From a young mother with severe arthritis, desperate for more help, to a 60-year-old man with learning disabilities who needs expensive, specialist support. What happens when the council closes a dementia day centre? It means a daughter now worries about where her elderly mother goes for care. These and other personal stories are at the heart of both programmes.
The two episodes will be broadcast on BBC ONE on the following dates:
CRISIS IN CARE: ‘Who Cares?’ 9pm, Wednesday 29th May
CRISIS IN CARE: ‘Who Pays?’ 9pm, Wednesday 5th June
Produced & Directed by Angie Mason
