Charity ends support in cost row

A charity which provides vital care to terminally ill Black Country patients has been forced to withdraw its support after claiming council chiefs wanted them to operate on a cheaper budget.

Sue Ryder Care provides specialist palliative care but is to finish at the end of the month prompting fears patients will no longer receive such dedicated help and attention. The charity offers daily support at the homes of people living with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and brain injury.

Now council chiefs have been accused of significantly reducing the existing contract price so the charity were no longer in a position to submit another tender.

Although new providers are being put in place residents fear they may not be as efficient and helpful as the current carers.

Paul Harper, head of business management at the charity, said: "Sue Ryder Care did not re-tender for the palliative homecare contract, which ends in September, since the charity did not feel it could provide this specialist service at the price offered by Walsall Council, which was significantly less than the existing contract price."

Staff are currently in limbo although Mr Harper said it was expected workers will transfer to other local care providers.

David Martin, Walsall Council executive director of social care and inclusion, said two other organisations – Shaw Community Services and West Midlands Home Based Care – had been awarded contracts as main providers of palliative care.

"Sue Ryder will not be providing palliative care as they took a commercial decision to withdraw from the tender process. The decision was theirs alone and the council cannot comment on it."