Archived decisions

CHANGE TO THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA UNDER WHICH COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES ARE DELIVERED

1. The Executive Member has agreed to cease the consultation process to move eligibility criteria to critical only.

2. The consultation process was designed to inform organisations and individuals of the Department's proposal to adopt eligibility criteria at "critical" only for community care assessments and will consult on this proposal, its implications and issues surrounding implementation and sought the views from people affected by the proposal which included:

    Organisations of users and carers; private sector providers; voluntary sector providers; voluntary organisations; the NHS; District Councils, staff and organisations representing black and minority ethnic groups and the Adult.Social Care PRC.

3. The emerging themes from the consultation were :

    _ Agreement that we should spend our resources on those most in need, or at risk

    _ That with limited resources we cannot be all things to all people

    _ That if we are consistent and fair, people will be able to live with this

However concerns were expressed about :

    _ the impact on carers and a belief that where a customer has carers they would not be deemed to be in critical need and would be left to cope alone or until breaking point

    _ respite may be withdrawn

    _ withdrawing low cost packages to high numbers of service users may result in higher more expensive packages later

    _ withdrawing from preventative work may result in increased crisis work, which could have been avoided with earlier preventative input

    _ low level support provides preventative care and keeps people at risk on the "radar"

    _ the impact on quality of life (social isolation, loneliness and mental health)

    _ the fine line in differentiating between critical and substantial

    _ transition from high volume support for children to a reduced service as an adult when age is the only change

    _ the department may not investigate less serious abuse

4 The Government's Fair Access to Care Guidance makes it clear that existing users must be treated in the same way as potential service users and this means that if upon reassessment a user's needs were still considered to be substantial, that they would be at risk of losing a service. The legal position is thus at variance with Members' intention that this proposal should not have an impact on existing service users.

5 The consultation to date has yielded a significant response. Many of the responses have included suggestions on providing a more efficient service, which the Department is keen to explore.

6 The response to the consultation by the Administration demonstrates that consultations are genuine exercises to test opinions and that they receive a great deal of consideration.

                      PATRICIA BANKS

                      Executive Member for Adult Social Care