Agenda item

Purpose: To amend the current Adult Social Care Policy to reflect the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014.

Resolved that the Executive resolves to delegate to the Head of Adult Social Care, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care as follows:

(1)          To consider the consultation responses received in respect of the proposal to amend the Adult Social Care Charging Policy.

(2)          If appropriate having regard to the consultation responses, to make the amendments to the Adult Social Care Charging Policy to include the full element of Disability Living Allowance care or Attendance Allowance that is in payment to individuals where the Council are not providing night time care.

If the proposed amendments to the Scheme are approved, the Council will monitor and review the impact of this proposal on equalities.

This decision is not subject to call in as:

·      a delay in implementing the decision this would cause the Council serious financial implications or could compromise the Council's position.

therefore it will be implemented immediately.

The Executive considered this urgent report (Agenda Item 12) which sought approval to amend the current Adult Social Care (ASC) Policy to reflect the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, a step already taken in the majority of other local authorities.

Councillor Rick Jones explained that in the Council’s current charging policy, the Council did not include the full amount of benefit income in financial assessments in cases where the Council did not provide an element of night time care. However, under the relevant legislation and guidance, it was permissible for the full amount of income benefits, including Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance, to be taken into account when assessing what a person could afford to pay towards the cost of their care. This report proposed to make this change to the Council’s Charging Policy.

However, the assessment would continue to establish whether residents could afford to pay a contribution. Some residents already made a contribution and this could see an increase if affordable. For others, they paid no contribution and this would not change if they remained below the threshold. In such cases, the cost would continue to be met by the Council.

Councillor Rick Jones confirmed that the additional income from this proposed approach was estimated at £270k per annum and this would be retained within ASC. This would be extremely beneficial when considering the pressures that the ASC budget was currently under.

Councillor Alan Macro noted that a large number of existing clients would need to be reassessed and he questioned the resource implications of doing so. Councillor Macro also voiced concern for affected residents and sought assurance that they were being made aware of the potential financial impact on them.

Councillor Rick Jones explained that subject to Executive approval of the recommendations, the Client Financial Services Team would assess all residents in receipt of financial support from the Council for ASC. This process would commence in January 2018, with the outcomes beginning to be identified from March 2018. Councillor Rick Jones gave an assurance that residents would receive sufficient warning of any potential financial impact upon them.

Councillor Macro noted that the potential financial impact would be felt by residents from the start of the 2018/19 financial year but queried whether charges would be backdated. Councillor Rick Jones clarified that potential new charges would only apply post the reassessments described and not be backdated.

RESOLVED to:

Delegate to the Head of Adult Social Care, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, as follows:

(1)       To consider the consultation responses received in respect of the proposal to amend the Adult Social Care Charging Policy.

(2)       If appropriate, having regard to the consultation responses, to make the amendments to the Adult Social Care Charging Policy to include the full element of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance that is in payment to individuals where the Council are not providing night time care.

If the proposed amendments to the Scheme are approved, the Council will monitor and review the impact of this proposal on equalities.

Other options considered: Leave the Charging Policy as it is.  This would mean that there was no additional income into the Adult Social Care budget.

Implement the change for new clients only.  There would be a small amount of additional income but it is hard to quantify as we don’t know who the new clients will be.

The Council considered whether funding for long-term support and prevention services could be reduced as an alternative to this proposal.  However, such a proposal would impact on a greater number of individuals and may further increase demand on Adult Social Care services.