Four out of 10 local councils in the Netherlands say they doubt they will be able to organise home care for the frail elderly, sick and handicapped next year, as the government plans.

The government says transferring responsibility to local councils will increase efficiency and optimize care provision.

But only one in three councils says they are confident they can do the job with the available budget. One in five says it will be impossible and a further one in five has grave doubts, the Volkskrant says.

The transfer of responsibility is being coupled with a 40% budget cut.

Fewer hours

Almost half the councils which filled in the questionnaire said they did not know how to cope with the cuts. Some 46% of those which have made an assessment, including Delft, Almere and Enschede, say home nursing hours will be cut.

Some councils are also planning to impose an income test to exclude wealthy pensioners from help. This, according to the local authorities’ association VNG is technically illegal but can be circumvented by asking the better off to pay a higher contribution towards their care.

Other councils say they will exclude people who have a social network which can help out instead. However, this is also not a legal option and family and friends cannot be forced to take on care duties, the VNG said.

The Volkskrant has created a special interactive map where locals can check how their council currently spends its budget.