We are now just weeks away from the first set of reforms under the Care Act 2014 being made reality across the country. It seems difficult to believe it was last June that our online consultation sought views on how local authorities should deliver the Care Act reforms. What I do know is that the responses we received were invaluable in shaping the regulations and guidance for councils – making sure local authorities were clear about their responsibilities.
The insights we received also informed this department’s work with sector partners, including the Social Care Institute for Excellence, Skills for Care and Think Local Act Personal. As a result, a whole suite of online resources now exist to help local authorities (LAs) understand and deliver on their obligations.
And so now we are repeating the exercise with our second and final consultation. This time we are focusing on a critically important aspect of the Care Act and one arguably uppermost in the minds of local government colleagues – the cap on care costs and draft regulations and guidance informing its implementation in 2016.
The core purpose of the policy remains protecting more people from catastrophic lifetime care costs they would otherwise struggle to meet. Under the proposals, the cap would protect all adults who develop an eligible need from the age of 25 from care costs rising above £72,000, while those who do so before they turn 25 would have their cap set at zero. How local authorities make good on this commitment will be better informed by this consultation.
Obligations, such as giving people 18 months’ notice of when they are likely to exceed the cap, and arrangements for meeting the person’s needs once they do (direct payments versus administration by local authorities for example) must be delivered through clear, robust processes. Each individual’s care needs should be considered fairly and openly.
As part of this consultation, we have also published proposals for a new appeals process on which we are likewise seeking views. Again, I am sure there are strong opinions on how such a process could be applied and the potential financial and administrative burdens arising from it. However, it’s important to remember this is about serving the best interests of those who stand to benefit from the Care Act’s reforms. If eligibility assessment processes are thorough and a true reflection of a person’s care needs then numbers of appeals should be manageable.
Regardless of ‘demand’ though, any appeals process will be built on firm principles including early resolution, communication, fairness, equality, independence, accessibility and proportionality.
Reforming care and support on this scale could never have been achieved without the broad engagement and cooperation we have seen across the sector. We are all now talking about how we make reform work - not why - and that is a very strong position to be in.
Help us continue the good work with this latest consultation. The site is open for comments until 30 March 2015 and your views will inform the rolling out of the widest changes to care and support for a generation. Thanks in advance.
