Issue - meetings

It was not possible to circulate this report five clear days in advance of the meeting. The chair agreed to accept as urgent because the proposals in the report were intended to modernise the council's approach to charging for social care and, in a time of financial austerity, to ensure its approach to charging for services was sustainable for the local authority in the long term. If the proposals were accepted income raised will be used to fund care services. Any delay in implementing the policy would adversely affect this income stream. If the income stream is affected then other services may suffer as the difference will need to be found.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the responses to the consultation on the proposed changes to the Fairer Contributions Policy as set out within the report and in Appendix 2: “Fairer contributions policy consultation responses summary” be noted.

2.  That the equality and impact analyses set out in Appendix 1 of the report: “Equality and impact analysis – Fairer Contributions Policy” be noted.

3.  The information contained within the report and its appendices were considered and the adoption of the proposed changes to the charging policy agreed:

·  To change the level of available income after financial assessment below which a service user will not be charged anything for their care from £2 to £3 a week

·  To charge up to 100% of available income, after financial assessment, increasing this from up to 80%

·  To ask all eligible service users, who are assessed as financially able to contribute, for a contribution toward their care costs

·  To simplify charging, so that all services, including respite care, meals and telecare services currently charged at a flat rate, are included within a financial assessment so that service users will only pay what they can afford

·  To assess and charge non-residential care services in the same way that we assess residential care, so that non-residential care service users with savings or capital above £23,250 no longer have their care subsidised by the council

·  To introduce a discount scheme for social care customers paying by direct debit.

4.  That the proposed changes to be adopted in a new Fairer Contributions Policy to be applied from October 2015 be agreed.