Approval sought from Cabinet for launch of consultation on Adult Social care charging polic

At its next meeting on the 15 December, Walsall cabinet is to consider the launch of a public consultation on a revised Adult Social care charging policy for eligible people in the borough.

The policy has been drafted in line with the Care Act 2014 and national charging guidance. It aims to provide clear and consistent guidance on how people in the borough are charged for residential and community care services. It has been aligned with policies used in surrounding local authorities with the guiding principle that if people can afford to pay towards their care they should do so. This will help to make the service sustainable going forward and also make the process easier to administer and understand.

Councillor Keir Pedley, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care said, “Consulting on the proposed Adult social care charging policy will help us to ensure that it works for the people in our borough and ensures that those who can pay are charged appropriately.”

“The proposed changes to the policy will promote independence, choice and control in the provision of residential and community care services for individuals. It aims to be person-focused, reflecting the variety of care and caring journeys and will reflect the variety of options available to meet people’s needs.”

“The policy will allow us to apply the charging rules equally so those with similar needs or services are treated the same, and will help to minimise anomalies between different care settings.”

If approved, the draft policy also proposes introduce a new rule about when people are expected to start paying their contribution. Current policy states that contributions for community services apply from the date the service user is told of the outcome of their financial assessment. The Care Act specifies that charges should be made from commencement of care, however the Council will be looking to charge from day 15 of the care being provided to allow time for administration and completion of the financial assessment by the person being assessed or their representative..

The consultation will also seek to gather feedback on proposals to set a ‘brokerage’ fee for the arrangement of services which will be paid when a person who is a ‘self-funder’ asks the council to arrange a care package on their behalf. This is a service Walsall Council currently provides free of charge but incurs costs in administering.

It is also proposed that the arrangement fee will be introduced from May 2022 with any income from the fees will be reinvested back into Adult social care services, again in alignment to wider council practice in place across England

The recommendation will be made to Cabinet that following consultation, the appropriate changes are made to the Adult Social Care Policy by way of updating and bringing the Policy into line with current legislation, regulations and guidance. The results of the consultation will be shared with Cabinet in 2022.