The Care Act 2014

•27,500 older people•3,420 people with a physical disability•3,030 people with a learning disability•5,300 people with mental health issues•180 young people each year making the transition from Children’s Services to Adult Services•2,500 carers benefitting from services

Adult services – who do we support now?

Source: Adult Social Care 2011-2013: Holding ourselves to account, HCC

•20,500 people receive care at home•3,690 people receive residential care in a care home•3,730 people receive nursing care in a nursing home•2,700 people receive day care•2,600 people receive respite care•1,700 people receive a direct payment to buy their own care services•857 use carers’ support

Which services do people use?

Source: Adult Social Care 2011-2013: Holding ourselves to account, HCC

Our current social care offer

Early Intervention and Prevention

Universal services – such as info and advice to the wider

community to prevent or delay the

need for more targeted social care

interventions

Crisis Care and Re-ablement

Targeted social care services for those

who need immediate protection from

abuse, people in crisis, and for carers

Long Term Care and Support

Targeted or longer-term services

involving a community care

assessment and a financial means test

Universal offer Maximising independence Targeted resources

• reduction in resources available • more older people and people with disabilities who

have increasingly complex needs• changing expectations of the people we support –

focusing on more personalisation and independence• integrating with the NHS • changes to the existing outdated legal framework for

adult social care

Adult social care is changing…

• Wellbeing at the heart of every care decision• More support for carers in their own right• NHS and care services becoming better integrated• Much more focus on tackling problems early to help

people stay independent for as long as possible• Much better information and advice to help people

navigate through a complex system• National threshold for eligibility – the same in every

council area• Changes to charging and paying for care• Cap on care costs

The Care Act – what it means for people

• New responsibilities to promote wellbeing, improve information & advice

• Greater emphasis on early intervention and prevention• New national minimum eligibility threshold for service

users and for carers• Duty to meet carers’ eligible needs• Continuity of assessments across areas• New responsibility for social care in prisons

Main changes planned for 2015

• Introduction of £72,000 cap on care costs• Zero cap if disability acquired in childhood• Cap does not cover board and lodgings nor any care costs

above the rate the council would pay• Self-funders who want to start a care account to offset

costs against the cap will all need an assessment• Changes to financial thresholds for self-funding (including

new £118,000 upper threshold for people in residential care)

• Independent appeals process

Main changes planned for 2016

Mrs Jones – what the cap meansIn September 2016, Mrs Jones decides to move into a residential home. The home she likes charges self-funders £600 per week.

She has a good pension and savings income, and has capital well above the new £118,000 threshold so will be self-funding.

Her son has heard about the cap and organises an assessment. The council rate for the home she wants is £450 pw (£220 for the care and £230 for hotel costs) so she is told she can accrue £220 pw (£11,440 a year) towards the care cap. It could therefore take more than 6 years to hit the care cap…

• Tight timescales – still many unknowns, with guidance to follow in the next few weeks

• New customers, new ways of working, demand pressures particularly from carers and self-funders

• GP and other health professionals are likely to receive enquiries from the public about the changes

• Public expectations will be high

Challenges and opportunities

• Implementation Board in place • Developing the workstreams for delivery• New HCC/NHS Carers’ Strategy in development• Reviewing our information and advice services to improve

customer accessibility• Working with national bodies and other councils to assess

impact on budgets• Awaiting draft guidance and regulations at the end of May

What we are doing now

Questions?