Terry’s Care Act updateImplementing the Care Act in the North West – Update

Terry Dafter (Adult Social Care) Stockport Council

Dilnot Recommendation (2011) Care Act (2014) funding reform

Cap lifetime contributions towards their social care costs should be capped at £35,000

Cap set at £72,000 from April 2016 and lower for working age adults.

Requires the introduction of Care Accounts.

People should contribute a standard amount to cover their general living costs, such as food and accommodation, in residential care - We believe a figure in the range of £7,000 to £10,000 a year

A standard contribution to living costs of around £12,000 a year will be set from April 2016 – this will not count towards the cap.

The means tested threshold should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000

The threshold for support is increased to £118,000 in assets (including their home).

People should not have to immediately sell their homes and therefore to introduce a national deferred payment scheme.

People will have the option to defer paying care home fees from April 2015, so that people do not have to sell their home in their lifetime to pay for residential care

Care Act: Headline funding reform

Care Act 2014:Headline care and support reform

• Places well-being, and outcomes, at the centre of every decision• Focus on prevention and delaying needs, and integration and partnership working is reinforced• Provides a single legal framework for social care

NW Progress – developing the architecture

Care Act update• Response to the consultation on the Regulations and Guidance

published

• 2nd Care Act stocktake – returns provide a basis for offers of national support

• Series of national products promised from November 2014: Workforce, communications resources, self-assessment tools etc.

• Regional funding allocations: Initial £315k over two years – Care Act and Better Care Plan support. The NW has recently received an additional £500m to meet workforce and other support needs.

NW joint work and use of regional resources

• NW Response to the Consultation on Regs and Guidance

• Self funders: Commissioned IPC to develop a tool to identify self-funders in the NW. The model is currently being tested in Lancashire, Oldham and Manchester. Completed tool circulated to NW authorities in the new year.

• Assessments and Workforce: Working together to review assessment processes, understand workforce implications, explore the implications for carers’ assessments.

• Workforce: Developing a NW Workforce plan with Skills for Care

- Deferred payment agreements: Looking at a NW collaborative model – sharing technical expertise, policy and admin functions.

- Communications: - Agreement to fund a NW short animation.- Secured Public Health England lead workshop early December

- Programme Management: Recently appointed full time PM support (1 year secondment).

Care Act IMT proposals• NW IMT Group led by Valda Williams. Each LA should confirm

membership via valda.williams@cheshireeast.gov.uk

• Initial sub-group meetings proposed around clusters of providers (e.g. Liquid Logic)

• Potential for a collaborative e-marketplace approach building on work from Tees Valley and West London Alliance

• DH confident that all providers reporting system changes will be made by 1 April 2015. – However, some local authorities reported a lack of confidence in the 2nd

Stockport. Richard Pantlin has a national role re. targeted support and is keen to discuss further with any local authorities that have particular issues richard.pantlin@adass.org.uk 07958 293078