Agenda item

To consider the consultation on charges for Adult Social Care services. (15 mins)

The Committee considered the Council’s consultation on charges for Adult Social Care Services which was due to close on 5 May.  Results would be taken to the June Executive meeting. 

During the discussion of this item the following points were made:

·         The consultation was seeking views on the following:

Ø  how the Council can best support people to make informed choices about residential and non-residential care;

Ø  support for carers and whether carers should be charged for their services (if they can afford to pay);

Ø  charging administration fees for arranging services for people who can afford to pay for their own care delivered at their home (self-funders);

Ø  charging fees and setting an interest rate for Deferred Payment Agreements;

Ø  Setting a maximum amount to charge for care that is best met in own home.

·         The Care Act introduced new duties on the Council regarding carers which would create additional financial pressure.

·         There was no proposal to charge for carers services in 2015/16.  The Council was consulting on the premise of charging for carers’ services in future.

·         It was not known how many carers would come forward to request services.  The Committee asked how many carers there were in the Borough and were informed that numbers available varied.  The Council supported approx. 600 whilst 13,902 identified themselves as carers (2011 Census).  There were 14 known young carers although the Census identified 110.  Members expressed concern that this presented a different picture to that presented in the Healthwatch survey on emotional health and wellbeing.  Nicola Strudley commented that there was not a list of young carers available.

·         Councillor Gilder commented that some families might not be known to social services and not be aware of what services might be available to them.

·         The Care Act allowed Councils to charge interest on the deferred fees, so that they could cover the cost of running the Deferred Payments Scheme and support more people to use it.  The national maximum interest rate set by government for deferred payments would be based on the cost of government borrowing and could change every six months.  The Department of Health had published information that the maximum interest rate from 1st April to 30th June 2015 would be 2.65%.  However, Councils could choose to set a lower interest rate.

·         Members were informed that there was a FAQ sheet on the website.

·         Councillor Ray asked how many self-funders were anticipated.  Steve Cross commented that again this was not entirely known but Wokingham was a wealthy area and the Council was a minority purchaser of residential home beds in the Borough.  Stuart Rowbotham indicated that it was difficult to predict the number of self-funders as in the past they had not come to the Council for support.  The Council did not have information on self-funders finances unless they shared it with the Council.

·         Nicola Strudley commented that the Council had a duty to inform and consult people on the Care Act and went on to ask how the Council was managing demand in terms of rolling out information.  Steve Cross stated that the information on the website was updated as and when required, the voluntary sector was working with the Council and providers were kept informed.  The recent Borough News had contained an article on the Care Act.

·         The Committee discussed how quickly a change in a person’s finances and situations could be recognised.

·         It was confirmed that the Council would not charge for advice and guidance.

RESOLVED: That

1)         the consultation on charges for Adult Social Care Services be noted.

2)         Members send any additional comments they may have to the Principal Democratic Services Officer to enable the formulation of a response to the consultation from the Committee.