OLDER and disabled people in their own homes aren't getting the care they need because Somerset County Council doesn't have the money to "cover the costs".

The council, unlike many other authorities, is paying the national recommended rate for carers, but the system is "simply not sustainable as it stands".

Somerset pays the UK Home Care Association's (UKHCA) suggested rate of £16.70, but 90 per cent of councils pay less.

A County Hall spokesman said: “Home carers provide really valuable support to people to help them stay independent and well.

"This year we have raised our home care rates to cover the cost of the new living wage and to bring them in line with the UKHCA’s suggested rates of £16.70.

“We are under increased pressure financially. Covering the costs of home care and increasing demand for service is becoming more and more challenging.

“The two per cent council tax precept, introduced in April, raised £3.8 million in Somerset in 2016/17, but the extra cost of the National Living Wage is estimated to cost £5.2 million. This leaves the county council with a funding shortfall of £1.4 million.

"Year on year we have seen an increase in the number of people needing support from our services and we simply don’t have the funding to cover the costs.”

Carer Kimberley Hassall, of Somerset Care, told the BBC there is not enough time to do everything she wants so she is forced to prioritise in her job in the Taunton area.

She added: "I do feel with some people you would want an extra half an hour just so you can put the washing on, change the bed or change their clothes."

She said she is constantly "juggling" and "clock-watching" to ensure she gets round to all her clients.

Currently 80 per cent of Somerset Care's workload is council-funded, but the company is looking to take on more private clients as it feels it cannot maintain the quality of care with the fees being paid.

UKHCA's Colin Angel said another £500 million needs to be invested in the market to bring the fees up to a sustainable level.

He said: "Underfunded home care is an urgent situation, which must not be allowed to continue."

A Local Government Association spokesman said: "The market for publicly-funded care is simply not sustainable as it stands."