Merseyside adult social care consultation begins
Adult social care in Liverpool is set to be transformed through its biggest reorganisation since the introduction of the NHS.
The city council has begun consulting on plans to create six new care hubs to replace 12 day centres and three care homes.
It said its aim was to free capital tied up in traditional care settings to provide "personalised" care to people.
The move will increase those being supported from 1,756 to 2,606.
The system, called Liverpool Cares, will be based on the government's personalisation programme and focus on allowing people to choose care rather than offering them a rigid list of traditional services.
A city council spokesman said: "At present if somebody has a fall and comes home from hospital they can either go into a residential home, or attend a day centre and have a local authority home help.
"Under the new system we'll give the person a budget so that they can perhaps choose to pay a trusted neighbour to come in and clean and cook for them, or they can pay to attend an activity of their choice rather than go to a day centre.
"To afford this, we need to start pulling out capital from buildings like day centres, some of which are now half empty.
"At the same time we obviously need to keep and improve some traditional care settings which is why we're creating the six new care hubs."
Three hubs will be residential centres, providing 85 intermediate care and crisis beds.
The other three hubs will be day centres, providing health and social care support for people with complex needs, and placements for patients coming out of hospital.
Councillor Roz Gladden, cabinet member for adult health and social care, said: "The changes we are making are moving forward changes which are actually already under way.
"People are already voting with their feet and the demand for our traditional services has been shrinking for several years.
"We simply must respond to that and change the way we operate and deliver the type of services our residents want and need."
A meeting of the council's cabinet on 25 June will be recommended to approve the proposals.