Non-residential charging policy for adult social care services
Introduction
Approximately 2,800 people in Rotherham receive care and support through non-residential services. An initial review has been undertaken on the non-residential charging policy which included benchmarking against other local authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Following approval by Members of the Council’s Cabinet we are now consulting with people who draw on services, their carers and people who live in Rotherham.
We would welcome your views on the following proposed changes:
- Removing the maximum weekly charge (currently £689 per week) for non-residential services.
- The introduction of an administrative charge for organising care for people who fund their own care and support needs.
Background
The Care Act 2014 provided local authorities with a single legal framework for charging a person for their care and support. It allows local authorities to decide whether or not to charge a person when it is arranging to meet a personal care and support need.
The framework is intended to make charging fairer and more clearly understood by everyone. The overarching principle is that people should only be required to pay what they can afford. People may be entitled to financial support based on a means test. Some people will be entitled to free care.
Where Rotherham Council arranges care and support to meet a person’s needs, we will look at a person’s income, savings and expenditure to determine if a person is required to pay towards their care and support, this is called a financial assessment. When completing the financial assessment the Council will ensure that people are not charged more than is reasonable for them to pay.
The Council must ensure that a person is left with a guaranteed minimum income; in addition to this we will consider other allowable expenditure such as rent, council tax and disability related expenditure.
Why we are considering these proposals
The Council like every other local authority is facing severe budget pressures and has a duty to maximise the way it uses its available resources.
We also want to make sure that the way we calculate charges is reasonable and strikes the right balance between what people are asked to pay and what the council pays.
There are no proposed changes to the way residential care is charged.
Proposal 1 - To remove the maximum weekly charge (currently £689 per week) for non-residential services
Currently, no matter how much a person’s care and support packages costs, the council will only charge a maximum of £689 per week.
For some people the cost of their care and support costs more than £689 per week but the council does not ask for more than this maximum amount, even if they can afford to pay it.
The proposal is to remove this maximum charge, and to charge people the full cost of their services when they have sufficient income and assets to do so.
Of the other Councils in South Yorkshire, only Sheffield currently has a maximum charge.
Removing the maximum charge could generate an additional £3,300 per week.
People affected by this change
Currently only 0.9% of people who access non-residential services pay the maximum care charge (25 out of some 2,751 people receiving non-residential services).
The number of people has increased from 9 to 25 people being affected since Cabinet approved the consultation due to changes in what people’s care now costs.
Proposal 2 – The introduction of an administrative charge for organising care for people who self- fund their care
Currently, Rotherham Council organises care for self-funders if requested to do so without charging them for this help.
A self-funder is someone who pays the full cost of their care and support either because they choose not to seek financial assistance or because their assets exceed the threshold for receiving publicly funded care.
Self-funders will have capital assets over £23,350 or £46,500 as a couple.
The Council has a responsibility to arrange care for self-funders if asked to do so. Currently there is no charge for this service, but the Council is entitled to recover its costs for providing this service.
There are currently 224 customer who fall into this category. An annual charge of £350 per year would increase income by over £70,000 per year. Both Barnsley and Doncaster Councils charge an administrative fee to do this.
