Archived decisions

REVIEW OF THE CHARGING POLICY FOR NON RESIDENTIAL SERVICES FOR ADULTS

1. In November 2001 the Department of Health, after a period of consultation, issued mandatory guidance to those local authorities (including Hampshire) which had chosen to exercise their discretionary power to charge for non-residential services for adults. The background to this was the Government's view that this discretionary power had resulted in an unacceptable level of variation between local authorities as to charges applied.

2. Whilst the intentions of the County Council's charging policy at that time were close to the national guidance, a number of details did not concur. There were also significant implications to the County Council in terms of a potential loss of income of around £2m. The Cabinet was therefore obliged to examine the charging options available within the limitations imposed by the new guidance. After the most careful consideration, and informed by detailed consultations with service users and advice from the Social Care Policy Review Committee, the Cabinet has developed a policy which reduces the projected loss of income by half (to £1m) streamlines procedures, and results in an estimated 4,300 people who formerly paid for services such as personal and other care at home or day care services receiving those services free. There will, however, be a small number of people who will actually have to pay more under the new arrangement. The key changes include:-

_ All day care being free - this is more equitable as under the former arrangements only those with learning disabilities received free day care services;


_ A "buffer" income level of basic income support plus 25% being introduced which means that this level of income is ignored before calculating any disposable income available for charges;


_ For those having to pay charges, only 75% of disposable income being taken into account in setting the charge;


_ At the request of service users, a single hourly rate for home services being charged.

3. Whilst, regretting the loss of income from the County Council's budget to spend on services each year, the Cabinet is pleased, nonetheless, to have been able to formulate this improved package of measures despite the prescriptive nature of the new guidance and the perceived inadequacy of Central Government funding. The new charging policy has been met with widespread approval by users in the County.

5nR751102