Issue - meetings

Purpose

To respond to the motion adopted by Full Council on the 14th January 2020, which sought the Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care to investigate the introduction of a day care cap for all Social Care client groups and to advise councillors of the financial cost of this.

RECOMMENDED that the Cabinet Member

a. Consider and approve one of the following options:

1. Maintain the current charging arrangements within Adult Social Care, in line with Care Act 2014 and the related charging Regulations; or

Subject to recommendations (b) and (c) below:

2. Reinstate a financial cap for Day Care, Community Support and Health & Independence Services; or

3. Implement a financial cap across all Adult Social Care services.

b. Confirm the level of the financial cap to be applied from Monday 06 April 2020, should the implementation of a financial cap be approved as set out in recommendation (a2) or (a3) above.

c. Agree that should the implementation of a financial cap be approved as set out in recommendation (a2) or (a3) above, it will on a temporary basis, until the publication and implementation of the anticipated government reforms of the financial arrangements for the Adult Social Care sector and how people fund their care and their eligibility for financial support from Local Authorities in the future.

d. Request the Chief of Health & Care Portsmouth to identify and implement alternative income or savings strategies in order to offset any lost income in 2020-21 and future years, and enable Adult Social Care to maintain a balanced budget.

DECISIONS:

Adult Social Care Charging Arrangements

a.    Agreed to reinstate a financial cap for Day Care, Community Support and Health & Independence Services, (Subject to recommendations (b) and (c) below).

b.    Agreed that a financial cap of £250.00 be applied from Monday 06 April 2020.

c.    Agreed that the implementation of a financial cap will on a temporary basis, until the publication and implementation of the anticipated government reforms of the financial arrangements for the Adult Social Care sector and how people fund their care and their eligibility for financial support from Local Authorities in the future.

d.    Agreed that the Chief of Health & Care Portsmouth be asked to identify and implement alternative income or savings strategies in order to offset any lost income in 2020-21 and future years, and enable Adult Social Care to maintain a balanced budget.

Richard Webb, Finance Manager, introduced the report.

The Cabinet Member explained the report stemmed from the motion at Full Council on 14 January 2020. A government plan on charging for adult social care is now three years overdue and is unlikely to be in place until the end of this Parliament so the uncertainty could be in place for another three to four years. According to Full Council on 11 February 2020 there will only be a cap on services which previously had one. A cap of £250 on all services would cost the council more than £1.5 million which is unsustainable but shows why properly funded adult social care is needed. He had written to the Secretary of State for Health as a result of February's Full Council and received a letter a month ago. He would love a cap of £60 funded by government for all ASC clients but this is not possible. He acknowledged the situation is frustrating for families in Portsmouth.

DECISIONS:

Adult Social Care Charging Arrangements

a.    Agreed to reinstate a financial cap for Day Care, Community Support and Health & Independence Services, (Subject to recommendations (b) and (c) below).

b.    Agreed that a financial cap of £250.00 be applied from Monday 06 April 2020.

c.    Agreed that the implementation of a financial cap will on a temporary basis, until the publication and implementation of the anticipated government reforms of the financial arrangements for the Adult Social Care sector and how people fund their care and their eligibility for financial support from Local Authorities in the future.

d.    Agreed that the Chief of Health & Care Portsmouth be asked to identify and implement alternative income or savings strategies in order to offset any lost income in 2020-21 and future years, and enable Adult Social Care to maintain a balanced budget.