THOUSANDS of vulnerable elderly people who rely on home help could see the quality of their care plummet, Liverpool support agencies warned last night. Domiciliary care agencies fear hundreds of home helps will walk out in search of better-paid work, after the city council drew up a contract which they say cuts their pay by 30%. One agency has already refused to sign the new contract unless town hall officials agree to re-negotiate the terms of the deal. Around 8,000 elderly and infirm people across the city rely on daily help from home carers who give vital assistance with cleaning, washing, dressing, and shopping. Insiders fear staff shortages could mean families may be left without support, or at best suffer a dramatically reduced quality in services – putting the burden of care back on to family, friends or neighbours. One care sector source told the Daily Post last night: “If something isn’t done, the quality of care will go into quick decline because there will be a mass walk-out of carers. “Not only will carers see a pay cut under the new contracts, but their hours will not be secure. “They will not know from one day to the next if there is work for them. It will be like going back to the days when dockers had to queue for work every morning. “On the face of it, the council is making big savings, but, in reality, it (the council) will pay in the long run.” The council insists it is trying to offer the best value for money for the city's council tax payers. The row erupted after town hall officials set out its new care package for thousands of the city’s most vulnerable people. Four of the city’s five existing care providers, who employ around 900 carers, have been offered the new contracts, along with five other new companies. The existing providers offered new contracts are Lyndhurst, Local Solutions, Homecarers and Merseycare Julianne and one of them has refused to sign.. The Daily Post understands the other three are in discussions with the city council in a bid to win a compromise. Instead of paying for the service in blocks of time, the council will pay by the hour, and will stop paying for carers’ travel time from July 1. It will also stop paying capacity hours, which means carers will not be paid if their client dies or is taken into hospital. Carers will be employed on zero hour contracts, rather than being guaranteed a set number of hours each month. Judy Boyle, 58, a saleswoman from Old Swan, said she was concerned about the future of her 86-year-old mother’s care. She said: “My mother loves her carers. They are like part of her family, and if it wasn’t for them, she would have had to move to a nursing home long ago. “The carers are so dedicated, but it is a tough job for them. They don’t get paid much as it is. Why should they stay in such a demanding job if they get paid less and do not have any security.” One source within the care sector said last night: “The contracts were put out to tender and when they were offered, the care providers were told the terms and given a week to sign. “It was a choice between refusing to sign and effectively going out of business immediately or signing and trying to negotiate with the council from the inside.” Another care sector source said: “The care providers have been offered less hours then before, so already that reduces the amount of work for carers. “Without travelling time pay and capacity pay, their wages will be reduced significantly. There are concerns this will mean carers will go away and find more secure jobs, where they are paid better. “Why should they stay in a stressful job when they can get paid more working as a supermarket cashier? “The council used to work under a similar system before 2001 and it didn’t work. If extra clients came in, it was harder to put a care package in place, be-cause companies had to hire car- ers as and when the work came in. “When it went over to the block payment system, things improved. Staff had a set number of hours, they stayed longer and employers were able to give them better training. “It is unbelievable that the council want to go back to those days. Staff will come and go, they will not have the same training because of this and the quality of care will suffer.” Len Collins, the director of Lyndhurst, said: “There are difficulties, but the contract doesn’t allow me to speak to the Press.” In an interview with the Daily Post in July last year, the council’s director of social care and housing, Tony Hunter, and executive member Cllr Dave Antrobus admitted retention of home carers was its biggest problem. They said they feared home carers would be tempted to move to an influx of retail jobs in the run-up to Capital of Culture, where the pay is better. Cllr Antrobus said last night some agencies had already signed the contract. “The Government are asking us to give value for money and that is what we are giving. We are making sure the tax payer only pays for the service it receives.” . A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said: “The new contracts are based upon feedback and ideas received from people who need home care services to assist them in living independently. “The new service will provide a much better deal for council tax payers, along with increased quality, flexibility and value for money. “We have agreed terms with eight out of nine of the success- ful bidders. If this doesn’t prove possible with the ninth, we will ensure continued high quality care provision and certainly no-one will experience disruption in the service they receive.” OPINION: PAGE 10 jessicashaughnessy Fears for elderly if home helps quit over pay cuts | 
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