New rules now in force which will impact on local residents
The way that people access council adult care and support services has now changed.
The Care Act 2014 has come into force and introduces a range of new duties and powers for local authorities.
Unpaid carers - who look after Ealing residents - can now request an assessment of their needs. Those eligible will have their own support plan, and control over how they receive any financial support they are offered, including an option for a direct payment into their bank account.
Carers who do not qualify for financial help will still be entitled to receive advice about other support services available in the community.
Another change is the deferred payment scheme. This is an arrangement which allows people to use the value of their homes to pay for their residential care costs without having to sell during their lifetime. The council will pay their care home bills until they are ready to sell their house, or they die.
From next year there will also be a new cap on eligible care costs. This means that no one will have to pay more than £72,000 towards the eligible costs of their care in their lifetime; and many people will pay less. The amount that the council will contribute towards someone’s care costs will continue to be based on their income and assets, but the threshold will be increased, meaning that more people will qualify for financial help until they reach the limit.
David Archibald, executive director, children and adults, said: “Some adults need extra help to live as well as possible and these new rules will help thousands of local people with an illness or disability, as well as those who provide their care.
“We have had some very constructive discussions with local carers over the last year about the changes that are coming in and how the assessments could work. I would like to thank them for their input as we make these important and necessary changes and for the invaluable work they do in caring for vulnerable friends and relatives in our community.”
For more information, and to find out about the changes, go to www.gov.uk and search ‘care and support is changing’.
7th April 2015
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