Issue - meetings

Report CS12066

Members considered the proposed contribution rates for personal care from April 2013, the revised rate were in response to the domiciliary care services tendering exercise.  The Portfolio Holder was asked to approve that consultation be undertaken with service users who had used the former PCT respite care provision, their families and carers about the charges that would be applied when using the new respite service.

In 2003, the Government issued guidance for setting charges for non-residential social care services. That guidance sought to ensure that people who used the services were treated fairly and not asked to make a contribution towards their care that would leave them in financial difficulty or hardship.  It also ensured that local authorities could not make a profit from these services, so the maximum charge that could be set was full cost recovery (subject to a financial assessment).

Members noted that as a result of the new framework agreement for domiciliary care the council would generate savings of approximately £1.4m gross of client contributions and £1m net of client contributions, in a full year. 

However, it was difficult to estimate how much additional income would be generated from charging service users moving from the former PCT service until the financial assessments were completed. At this stage it was not known how many of the 43 services users would be required to make a contribution towards their care.

Officer’s explained that to ensure that the new respite service is fully utilised it is further proposed that we look to sell any vacant respite beds to other local authorities, based on full cost recovery.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder is requested approve:

1.  The new rates for personal care as set out in paragraph 3.11 and 3.17 for 2013/14.

2.  Consultation with service users, their families and carers as outlined in paragraphs 3.21 – 3.24.