Free Care at Home

Personal Care at Home Bill – consultation ends on February 23rd

Will this be the first steps towards establishing a National Care Service?

The Bill will enable Local Authorities to provide free personal care for people at home, with the highest levels of need. People will still be accessed through the Fair Access to Care (FACS) criteria and will need to be in the critical band.

To read the proposals visit: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_109139

What do they mean by Personal Care? There will be six basic categories:

Physical assistance must be needed by the individual for:
Eating and drinking, toileting, washing or bathing, dressing and oral care.

The definition does not cover cleaning, housework, laundry, shopping services, sitting services and specialist transport services.

Councils will continue to provide intensive support or Reablement services, free for up to six weeks (in Manchester) for people who need help and support following a period of illness, or the onset of a disability.

How will this initiative be funded?

Funding has been set by the Government at £670 million with £250 million being found by Local Authority efficiency savings. Though the free personal care is welcomed, there are concerns being expressed by older people themselves and their organisations about the funding relying on ‘efficiency’ savings. With additional pressures on Local Authority budgets, there could be a continuation of interpreting the FACS differently in different localities.

Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, also mentioned in a newspaper article that money could be diverted from research funds to meet the extra costs This too will give cause for concern to many people. Help the Aged and Age Concern have published an informative Parliamentary Briefing on the Bill and its second reading :

http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/parliamentary-briefings.asp