Agenda item

B&NES Council is proposing to introduce a Care and Support Charging and Financial Assessment Framework. This will change some of the ways in which the Council allocates its resources and calculates the charge (where applicable) to individuals with care and support needs.

The Legal Advisor introduced this report to the Panel. She explained that the following areas of the Framework will be subject to consultation as all other areas included are not discretionary within the statutory obligations:

·  Individuals will be required to respond within two weeks of being contacted by a Care Finance Officer to arrange a meeting to discuss the financial assessment. If no contact is made within this period, they will be deemed as self-funding.

·  The Council will take into account Pension Guaranteed Credit and Employment and Support Allowance benefit that a service user would have an automatic entitlement to, if an application were made.

·  A new third party ‘Top Up Agreement’ will be implemented for families /friends/ organisations who wish to make a top up payment on behalf of an individual. Example a larger room in a care home.

·  There will be an improved procedure for setting up a Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA) and an increase in the fees charged for setting up a DPA.

·  A new Interim Funding Policy (dependent upon criteria) is proposed for those people who have unregistered properties and for those who are waiting to obtain deputyship to allow them to act on the individual’s behalf.

·  The Council are reviewing the amounts that are applied to Disability Related Expenditure and some expenditure will not be allowed. Please refer to the Disability Related Expenditure Factsheet for more information.

·  Transport and education costs will be allowed if this is set out in the individuals Care and Support Plan and the individual is not in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or any Disability Living Allowance component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

·  The standing charge for gas, electricity, water and sewerage will be allowed as part of the financial assessment. Those individuals who have other heating systems such as oil heating, delivery costs will be allowed.

·  A new one off administration charge will be applied to self-funders where an individual has asked the Council to arrange for the care and support.

·  The Council has updated its Direct Payments Policy to provide clearer guidance and information.

She said that the consultation will run from the 24th September until 3rd December 2019 and that a series of consultation events for individuals, family members, care and support staff and agencies will be held. She added that a presentation by council officers will be given at the start of the session and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.

The Chairman asked her to confirm that this was not simply a cost cutting exercise.

The Legal Advisor replied that it was not and that the process will bring the Council in line with other local authorities and the National Association of Financial Assessment Officers (NAFAO) based guidance.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked if changes would be made if comments were received during the consultation.

The Director for Safeguarding & Quality Assurance replied that they were open to changes being following the consultation.

Councillor Hardman commented that she felt that the initial two week timescale should be extended.

Councillor Ruth Malloy agreed as she said that two weeks was quite a short timescale.

The Panel RESOLVED to;

i)  Note the report

ii)  Receive a further report on the Framework following the end of the consultation process.