Councillors are calling for radical reforms to improve care for Staffordshire’s elderly.

A new system for services for the elderly is being planned by Staffordshire County Council’s newly-elected Tory majority, which is urging the Government to come up with urgent solutions.

Councillor Matthew Ellis, cabinet member for adult social care, says the Government must talk to local authorities and learn how they are involved in pioneering work.

The county council is facing the challenge of a rapidly ageing society and is struggling to cope with fast growing demand, he said.

“The current system is a lottery. Financially, Staffordshire, and all other councils, are finding it impossible to meet fast-growing demand from within existing resources. For people in need of care, the level available depends too much on where you live, your amount of savings, the support received from family and a host of other factors.

“In Staffordshire, we are looking at imaginative solutions. We want to remove the random factors as much as possible and give everyone the same opportunities of access to the care that they need.”

Councillor Ellis said Staffordshire’s new vision for care would be launched soon.

“Families and individuals shouldn’t have to deal with a plethora of care, housing and health providers in isolation.

“I want to see a single point of contact and information that will be clearly branded and easily accessible in a variety of ways. For those who need to find out what is available, particularly for the first time, it will mean a simpler approach which gets rid of the jungle so many people say they find themselves in.

“It will provide a clear and friendly starting point and we will work with partners to provide all the specialist help from the start in a way which is easier for people who are often in stressful circumstances.”

Councillor Ellis said that over time this would transform the care provided in Staffordshire by the county council alongside the NHS and the voluntary sector.

“It will be a care system that is modern, fair and affordable and more information about our plans for Staffordshire Cares will be made available shortly. This will be an exciting and innovative approach which the Government should take a close look at.

“It is also vital that what we do is clearly seen to be fair and equitable and to help achieve that we will shortly carry out a two-month consultation across Staffordshire to ask residents about the balance between individual contributions to the cost of care and what the public purse should provide,” Councillor Ellis added.

“More than 13,000 people aged 60 and over currently receive care packages from the county council and this will increase to almost 14,500 in 2014 and over 18,500 in 2029 if the current care package rates are maintained.”