The Department of Health has released its reply to the Care Act consultation, along with the proposed final regulations that will guide local authorities when the act comes into force in April 2015.
Between June and August this year, the department asked organisations and the public to share their views on the draft Care Act regulations. They received more than 4,000 responses, from a wide range of sources.
The Department of Health reply states: “Many consultation responses, in particular those from local government, highlighted concerns about adequate funding for social care.” As a result, the government has changed its estimates to reflect “a larger number of potential recipients, and show additional costs in the first year and beyond – rising to an additional £100m per year”.
Another issue raised in consultation responses was the large number of carers expected to come forward for carers’ assessments. In response, the Department of Health stated that an extra £22m a year from 2015/16, rising to £27.5m from 2017/18 onwards, will be available to help local authorities manage demand.
In a clarification that is likely to please those who have campaigned against 15-minute care visits, the reply states that “very short home care visits are not normally appropriate”.
We’ve put together a compilation of views from across the sector. To contribute to the debate, comment below or tweet us @GdnSocialCare – we’ll put the best responses above the line.
Sue Brown, head of campaigns and public policy at Sense: “The Care Act is an incredible opportunity for politicians to finally get social care right in the UK. However, under the regulations released today the threshold for people to become eligible for social care is set far too high. As a result, many disabled and older people will miss out on the services they desperately need for day-to-day life. It is also vital that the government releases enough funds for local authorities to provide the right level of support for what is currently a chronically underfunded system. Otherwise, the Care Act will be built on sand.
“Inadequate social care has a knock-on effect and results in further demands on the NHS. For example, the deafblind people we support can become more susceptible to falls or require hospital treatment because they didn’t get the support they needed from social care. The government must act and provide the funding that will allow disabled people to receive adequate care.”
Janet Morrison, chief executive of Independent Age: “We welcome the new rules to support the Care Act, in particular the strengthening of protection for families from having to pay unfair top-up fees for relatives’ care home costs. We also welcome the requirement for councils to improve information and advice services on care issues. However we think the government has missed an opportunity to liberalise the rules on who is eligible for social care, meaning that an estimated 235,000 older people will continue to be outside the system and need to either pay for care themselves, receive it from friends and families – or go without. This is shortsighted because many of those outside the care systems may as a result need to draw on health and other services earlier as a result.”
Clare Pelham, chief executive of Leonard Cheshire Disability: “The Department of Health is absolutely right to say that 15-minute homecare visits are inappropriate in the Care Act guidance published today. We are delighted that they have been so clear on this. This is an unmistakeable signal that ‘flying visits’ do not deliver the high-quality personal care everyone deserves - no one should suffer the indignity of choosing whether to have a cup of tea or go to the loo.
“The guidance is absolutely clear that councils shouldn’t be buying these visits for personal care, and some authorities including Calderdale, Islington and Essex have already taken action to end flying-care visits in their area. We hope others will follow their lead to provide care for disabled and older people that is respectful and not rushed.”
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society:“In setting the eligibility criteria for council-funded social care so high, thousands of people with dementia will be cut off from the vital support they need and deserve. It is absurd logic that services that help prevent people from reaching crisis point are given such low priority. People with dementia shouldn’t be waiting for an emergency until someone steps in – our care services should be working to prevent that crisis from happening.
“Without hard cash, the black hole in social care finances will suck the potential out of this opportunity for transformative change and we will continue to see people with dementia struggling to live from day-to-day.”
Spokesperson, Department of Health: “Helping people to live independently and prevent them from becoming ill is what people want and is a better use of our resources. The Care Act and our £3.8bn Better Care Fund will focus on keeping people well, which can save money and prevent people needing more support. We are clear that people, whatever their level of need, will receive help from their council to get support and information.”
Richard Hawkes, chair of the Care and Support Alliance: “The Care Act is a ground-breaking piece of legislation – capping catastrophic care costs and ending the postcode lottery. But it will only live up to its promise of a genuinely preventative system that promotes wellbeing, if the government rethinks its plans to exclude so many older and disabled people from the system.
“Setting a high threshold for the care system is a bit like going to the doctor with a chest infection and being told to come back with pneumonia.
“Every day, our 76 organisations hear horror stories of older and disabled people who struggle to get the support they need to simply get up, get dressed and get out of the house.”
Julia Skelton, head of professional operations at the College of Occupational Therapists:“We welcome this supporting guidance for the Care Act in England which will improve the daily lives of people using care and support services. The act marks a sea change in social care, giving the individual choice, control and ensuring their needs and wellbeing are central to everything we do.
“Occupational therapists are a key part of the social care workforce with the skills and knowledge to deliver these changes in care and support, including in assessment, rehabilitation, reablement, and vocational rehabilitation. Occupational therapists are an enormous asset and we must see greater commissioning of their unique services and skills.”
Delighted with #careact guidance on identification of carers.Our new report and practical tips can help, launching next Tues #Macmillancares
— Macmillan PolicyDept (@Mac_PolicyDept) October 23, 2014
#CareAct regulations confirm as more of us needs #socialcare, fewer will get it. Funding for #socialcare must accompany investment in #NHS.
— Elliot Dunster (@ElliotDunster) October 23, 2014
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