THE level of night time cover in Lancashire care homes is to be reduced in a cost-saving measure.

But plans to axe staff ‘sleep-in’ shifts overnight have been put on hold.

Proposals to cut the number of night time assistants from three to two in all council-run care homes, except for two that also provide nursing care, have been rubber-stamped in a move that will save the county council £370,000 a year.

Currently a member of staff sleeps overnight at each of the council’s 17 care homes, and is woken in an emergency.

This facility looked under threat when the original proposals were revealed by the Lancashire Telegraph ahead of a period of consultation with staff and unions.

But the final decision passed by the cabinet committee on the Lancashire County Commercial Group said sleep-ins would continue “for the time being,” with the number of night care assistants to be reduced from three to two.

Of the 17 homes, 11 currently have three night care assistants plus the sleep-in backup, which a report said was only used in 1.7 per cent of shifts.

As part of the changes, a pool of on-call staff will be made available for home managers to call, and county council bosses say this will make the service better.

But Coun Geoff Driver, leader of the opposition Conservative group, said: “We recognise the need to provide our services in the most efficient and effective way but this proposal goes beyond efficiency savings and will result in cuts in the service we provide in our homes for older people.”

And Tory health spokesman Mike Calvert added: “I am disgusted the report was approved at a time when the needs of our elderly have never been greater.”

But Labour councillor Tom Burns, cabinet member for organisational development, said some of the council’s homes already got by with only two night care assistants, whose duties include providing checks on residents, bringing them drinks and snacks, cleaning and laundry.

He added: “We will have a pool of flexible workers we can call upon. The manager, if they feel the need, can call on these extra staff. They weren’t allowed to do that before so this will improve the service.”