The BBC reports on complaints around social care services in rural areas due to a lack of staff and high mileage costs.

More than 80 eligible people in Cornwall currently have no council-funded care, according to Cornwall Council, which says it cannot afford to pay more to providers. Residents reported of relatives’ care being stopped when they move to more rural and isolated villages, despite being eligible for help, as care providers are struggling to recruit staff in rural areas. Cornwall Council said it does not have ‘the scale of urban conurbations that Devon has’, where the council reportedly pays more for remote carers. As a consequence, Cornwall contract prices ‘reflect the rural nature of Cornwall’. The report states that the Government is giving councils ‘more than £1 billion of ringfenced money for social care next year’.

Full article:

BBC News - Cornwall: Home care issues for people in rural areas