Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Adult Social Care Item 3

31 March 2006

Consultation on changes to the charging policy for non-residential services - interim report

Report by the Director of Adult Services

1

Summary

1.1

The following decisions are sought:

1. That approval be given to formally extending the consultation period until 7 April 2006, giving a consultation period slightly greater than twelve weeks.

2

Reason(s)

2.1

This decision supports Aim 5 of the Corporate Strategy, improving services, by ensuring that income from charges in maximised. It gives consultees a little longer to give their views on proposed changes to the charging policy for non-residential services and ensures that the consultation is fully compliant with the One Compact.

3

Other options considered and rejected

3.1

Retaining the originally agreed closing date for consultation of 31 March 2006.

4

Conflicts of interest declared by the decision-maker or other Executive Member consulted

4.1

Not applicable

5

Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

5.1

Not applicable

6

Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

6.1

Not applicable

Approved by:

..........................

Date of decision:

.........................

Councillor Patricia Banks

Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Adult Social Care

31 March 2006

Consultation on changes to the charging policy for non-residential services - interim report

Report by the Director of Adult Services

How the conclusion in this report fits with the Corporate Strategy

This scheme will impact on the delivery of the following Corporate Aims

Aim 5 - improving services, by ensuring that income from charges in maximised.

1.

Summary

1.1

The Executive Member for Adult Social Care, at her Decision Day on 9 December 2005, agreed a recommendation to consult service users and other interested parties on proposed changes to the Council's policy on charges for non-residential services. This consultation is now underway and the purposes of this report are to relate how it has been carried out, to report on the level of response up to the point the report was written and to seek agreement to a short extension to the consultation period to ensure that the full twelve weeks, as agreed by the Council in the One Compact, are available to consultees.

1.2

A final report on the consultation will be brought to the Executive Member's Decision Day on 28 April 2006.

2.

Impact Assessment

2.1

In compiling this report account has been taken of the requirements of the Corporate Equalities Plan and Race Scheme. One major purpose of the proposals to change the charging policy is to promote equity between different groups of users of non-residential services.

3

Consultation with Local Members

3.1

Not applicable.

4

The consultation

4.1

The agreed approach to the consultation was to involve all users affected by the proposals for changes to the policy of charging for non-residential services for adults, groups representing their interests, staff of the Adult Services Department and the general public, asking for their views on the proposals set out in the report Review of equity and fairness in relation to income. The user consultation focuses on contacting all users of those services which are affected (and/or their agents or carers) individually so that they can give their own comments. Groups representing the interests of users have also been involved but were not expected to take on a co-ordinating role, or to gather views from all users.

4.2

All users who are affected, and/or their agents, were sent clear, relevant information about the proposals for changes to the charging policy (in the format they needed). Everyone was sent a feedback form for their comments (with a postage paid envelope), the questions asked focusing on the fairness and equity of the proposals for both service users and the tax payer. Around 9,500 letters were sent to service users on 9 January 2006 by first class post. Large print and 'easy to read' versions were prepared before the mail-out and despatched the same day that a request was made for them to the consultation helpline (see below). An electronic version of the feedback form was emailed to consultees on request.

4.3

A special 'Charges Bulletin', giving detailed information about the current charging policy, the proposed changes and the consultation, was prepared and sent to Adult Services' staff and to user and advocacy groups in advance of the mail-out to service users so they could be of assistance to consultees in understanding the information given to them and making a response. A letter drawing attention to the consultation was also sent to all members of the County Council.

4.4

A consultation helpline (a manned, dedicated telephone number) was set up to help consultees who requested it and take comments and a special email address was also set up.

4.5

The feedback form includes a question about charging for day care/services but only those people receiving day care/services who also received a chargeable service (domiciliary care or sitting service) - and who therefore had some experience of the financial assessment process - were included in the consultation. Recognising that there were many users of day care/services who did not have such experience, and therefore would have difficulty in commenting on the proposal to make such services chargeable, the Executive Member for Adult Social Care agreed that a second consultation should be held once any changes to the policy were agreed. This is timetabled for May to July 2006, again for twelve weeks. Detailed proposals for this second consultation will be brought forward when the final results of the first consultation are reported at the end of April 2006.

4.6

The consultation with the general public was conducted via the Citizen's Panel and carried out by MORI. Questions on charging for services were included in the questionnaire which dealt largely with the funding of Council services and Council Tax.

5

Progress

5.1

Around 1,900 completed feedback forms have been received at the time of writing this report. While the majority were received in the first two weeks of the consultation period, around 20 forms are still being received each day so that it is likely that 2,000 or so will have been received by the end of the consultation period (31 March 2006). This would represent a response rate of around 21%. This compares favourably with such consultations in earlier years.

5.2

Some comment has been made that mail-out on 9 January 2006 did not allow the full twelve week period for consultation before 31 March 2006, as agreed by the Council in One Compact. In fact, the period is a few days short, the twelve weeks expiring on 3 April 2006. While time must be allowed for summarising and analysing the responses from consultees, information from the feedback forms is being entered onto a computer database as they arrive and data reports have already been written to summarise the data so a prolonged period of analysis will not be needed. This would allow forms received after 31 March 2006 to be incorporated. The Executive Member, therefore, is asked to agree to formally extend the consultation period until 7 April 2006, giving a consultation period slightly greater than twelve weeks.

5.3

In addition to the feedback forms, over 60 letters and emails have been received giving the views of service users, their carers and organisations representing groups of users and carers. Views expressed in these ways will also be included in the final summary report. Also, a few meetings organised by user and carer groups have been attended in order to explain the current charging policy and the proposed changes and to answer questions.

Recommendation

That:

1

The Executive Member agrees to formally extend the consultation period until 7 April 2006, giving a consultation period slightly greater than twelve weeks.