15/9/2009 - Cumbria moves towards Fairer Contributions for adult social care : Cumbria County Council

Cumbria County Council has taken the first step in implementing a new national scheme for calculating the way people pay for their home and day care.

In July 2009 the Department of Health issued new guidance for all councils on how they should charge people for non-residential adult social care services. The guidance was called 'Fairer Contributions: Calculating an Individual's Contribution to their Personal Budget' and must be implemented from April 2010 onwards.

At a meeting of Cumbria County Council's Cabinet today, councillors agreed to begin the process which will see the changes coming into effect next year.

People who attend day care centres or receive home care currently pay on a per-unit basis for that care (ie per full day or half day at a day care centre or per hour for home care). Under the new system, people will pay a percentage of the cost of the care they are receiving while the county council will subsidise the remainder of the care.

The new system is designed to be fairer for all people in that the payments being made better reflect the actual care being given. It is also part of the wider introduction of personal budgets, where people receiving care have a greater say in how they tailor their care package to their own needs.

At this early stage it is impossible to say how individuals will be affected because the county council has not yet set its draft budget for 2010/11, so has not yet decided what percentage of the cost of care it will be asking individuals to pay. But the new system does not change the maximum charge that can be made. It also does not change the way the council undertakes financial assessments nor does it treat the income, disability-related expenditure or savings of service users any differently. The same exemptions for charging which currently exist for community equipment, minor adaptations and services provided under section 117 of the 1983 Mental Health Act will still apply under the new system.

The county council has already set aside £150,000 to implement the new way of charging from next year.

Cumbria County Council will be working closely with voluntary organisations to make the changes and assess what it will mean for individuals, while keeping service users informed every step of the way. The organisations involved include Age Concern, Cumbria Disability Network, Cumbria Mental Health Group, Mencap, People First, Cumbria Partnership Board and Cumbria Link.

Cllr Eddie Martin, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet member responsible for adult social care, said:

"These can be very emotive issues as we're dealing with how much money some of the most vulnerable people in our society should pay for their care. What we do know is that we have no choice and must implement the new system. We also know that for many people it will mean greater flexibility in how they shape their own package of care to suit their own needs.

"What we don't yet know is what this will mean for individuals. Some people may end up paying more, some may pay less and some remain the same. But we are committed to working with the voluntary sector to making the changes clear once we know what it means for service users.

"It is important for people to bear in mind that the changes will not take place until April 2010. If anyone has any concerns or queries at this early stage, they should discuss those with the business support team in their local adult social care office."