Portsmouth patients receiving re-enablement care could be charged up to £756 a week

Some residents will be charged to stay at the Victory Re-enablement Unit in Wyllie Road, Hilsea, as of April this year after Portsmouth City Council approved changes to its adult social care system.

A statutory free six-week period will still apply to all at the rehabilitation centre and after that patients will pay on a means-tested basis - meaning some will still get the extra weeks for free.

Speaking at a health and wellbeing meeting, Angela Dryer, the council's director of adult services, said: 'The reality is that very few people have ever gone past seven weeks. Most stays at Victory are considerable under the six-week period.'

The 22-bed unit provides a mix of rehabilitation, occupational therapy, personal care and social work known as intermediate care.

However, Ms Dryer explained there was scope to expand the use of the unit. 'We have had periods of time over the last year or so where Victory has not been full with people requiring re-enablement so we've started to have some conversations about how we can utilise those beds,' she said.

'Obviously there is considerable pressure on the hospital and there are people in the hospital who occasionally need to go somewhere before going home whilst we're doing adaptations or other things in the properties.'

Other adult social care fees in Portsmouth will rise by 1.7 per cent as of April, in line with inflation.