A REVIEW of Hertfordshire's day centres will result in severe hardship for the county's most vulnerable people.

That is the view of Conservative county councillors who have consistently attacked the Lab/Lib Dem administration which agreed savings of £800,000 at Hertfordshire's County Council's social services committee on Thursday last week.

Conservative spokesman Michael Janes said: "These services play a crucial role in the lives of some 4,000 vulnerable people in the county, whether elderly or those suffering physical or learning difficulties.

"For some, the review will mean changed routines, maybe going to different centres, or the loss of long-standing personal relationships, at a time of life when any change presents difficulty and hardship."

The savings in the 1998/99 budget will be achieved through a number of measures which include:

introducing charges for all staff meals

reducing management

ceasing funding arrangements for day centre librarians

cutting the training budget

reducing the contract for private care contractor Quantum Care

cutting expenditure on taxis by using social services vehicles

reviewing staffing and grading in learning disability centres

adjusting client/staff ratios in all centres.

The review will affect day care services for elderly people, younger physically disabled people and people with learning disabilities.

Some day services are provided by the county council through social services day centres. Others are provided through contracts with Quantum Care, by grant-aided voluntary organisations and by joint initiatives with district councils.

In October, the social services committee approved new policies to ensure social services were more evenly spread across the county.

Since then, officers have held 30 consultation meetings to ask interested parties in each Hertfordshire district what they think day services should provide.

During the meetings, staff said they were worried about job losses and a possible reduction in the quality of service.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire County Council said there could well be job changes, but it was too early to say if there would be job losses.

Social services committee chairman Philip Aldis said: "No one recognises more than us how day services improve the quality of life for elderly and disabled people, but we also know that both numbers and needs have changed dramatically since many of these services were started.

"It's our job to see that day services keep pace with these changes and that the money we use to provide them is spent as wisely and as well as possible."

Vice chairman Aislinn Lee said: "We want to make it clear that clients attending day centres will still have a day centre place.

"We will make sure they and their carers are consulted before any changes to their current arrangements are made. There won't be any snap judgements."

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