THE Community and Social Care Minister paid tribute to an “incredible” day centre for disabled people during a visit to Barnet.

But Conservative MP Alistair Burt admitted funding for social care is “difficult”, and there “will never be enough money to cover absolutely everything”.

He was speaking during a visit to TouchBase South East, run by deafblind charity Sense in Hyde Close, Barnet this morning (January 7).

Mr Burt was given a tour of the day centre, including its gym, pool and café, by Sense deputy CEO Richard Kramer and community services manager Debbie Snooks.

He also joined in with an art class at the centre, which cares for deafblind and disabled adults from across London and the South East, and relies on council funding.

Mr Burt, who has held his ministerial role since May 2015, said: “It is fantastic to see the work actually happening and see the degree of care being offered, whatever their sensory needs. The quality of the facilities is incredible.

“Communication is absolutely key. I always find with the deafblind community communication is essential. You realise how important it is and how tough it can be."

Discussing cuts to council budgets, and the impact of these on social care, Mr Burt said: “I would not say anything other than funding is difficult, because the range of needs being met now is perhaps greater than before.

“The Government did put extra money into social care in the Spending Review. By 2020, there will be £3.5billion more available, which is the combination of the money being put in by the Government and social care precepts.

“There will never be enough money to cover absolutely everything. What is very important is how money is used, such as when we see a centre like this, and how it is being put into use.”

He added: “In a way this is all big society. Government makes a contribution, and volunteers do. And professionals do incredibly well with the resources they have, to provide a life for people which would have been very difficult for people 20 years ago.

“It is important to look at what is being done, and celebrate the quality of the work. Greater awareness of this sort of work is a huge benefit to society.”

Ms Snooks, who has worked for Sense for 17 years, said: “We are very proud of what we do here. We do it for the satisfaction. It can take two years to support somebody to hold a spoon to feed themselves. It can be frustrating, and long, and tiring – but when you see that person achieve that, it is the best thing in the world.

“It is about giving people control and power back over their own lives. We make sure we are offering them choices as much as we can. To me, the key thing is the relationships with the staff and the people we support. Some of the people have been coming here for 12 or 13 years.”

The centre, which first opened in 1994, recently underwent a two-year long refurbishment, which finished last February.