FEARS are rife in West Devon that vulnerable people in need of care will slip through the net as home assessments are scrapped in the 'modernisation' of social services. Residents will no longer be able to access help from social services offices in Okehampton and Tavistock but will have to phone a call centre in Barnstaple or Newton Abbot to arrange their care. Devon County Council says the changes, which are part of an integration of health and social care in the county, are to ensure a faster, more responsive service for older adults and people with physical disabilities — but the move has angered local carers and councillors. Carol Tucker from Okehampton, who looks after her 102- year-old mother, said it was so convenient to pop into the local office and speak to a professional about any problems and book respite care. She said: 'Speaking to someone on the phone is not like meeting someone personally and the service at the Okehampton office has always been fantastic. 'At the office you can find out all you need to know but I think people are going to give up if they have to phone up. They will just get confused.' Mrs Tucker said staff at the office were heavily involved in the carers' group which she feared might disband without their involvement. 'This is a cutback. so how can it be more efficient?' she said. Carer Gill Gorbutt said personal contact was crucial for elderly and vulnerable people: 'The first point of contact is now going to be by phone and that is how the needs of people are going to be assessed. 'How exactly can anyone see how well people are coping or what their circumstances are without a home visit? 'A lot of elderly people do not have a realistic notion of how they are coping. Talking to someone at a call centre is just not the same.' Mrs Gorbutt said having care workers in the community who could be seen at the local offices, at home and in the community was an effective system. 'To run a system over in Barnstaple without people on the ground, you are making the presumption that everyone who has a need is extremely articulate and literate and completely aware of what they need. 'A lot of people who are old or in crisis are not in that state of mind and are physically not able to sort themselves out.' Okehampton county councillor Christine Marsh greeted the news with dismay. She said: 'I'm so disappointed that these things are happening. What with the JobCentre and the post offices, it is just one service after the other that is closing. 'The vulnerability of those that social services are meant to be serving just isn't taken into consideration. They want to talk face to face with someone, not to a voice at the end of a phone.' Devon County Council's deputy assistant director for Southern Devon Wendy Price said: 'We have introduced a new way for people to access care, which is quicker and more effective than before. It has cut waiting times for people with simple care needs, and gives more time individually to the people who most need it. 'Local offices in Okehampton and Tavistock will not be closed to the public. 'Anyone calling in to these offices will be signposted to Care Direct or Care Direct Plus teams, who are very able to resolve most queries immediately and arrange assessments where appropriate. 'The changes we are making will mean that people will get a much faster service.' A spokesman for Devon County Council said there had not been any job losses to date but the council did know that it would need less staff and this would include a reduction in the number of occupational therapists. He said: 'As with any restructure programme, there has been retraining and redeployment opportunities for staff involved but the council has a very good retraining and redeployment programme to ensure staff remain employed by the council.'
