Shropshire Council reflects on the Care Act in Shropshire – three months on

It has now been three months since the country saw the biggest change to English adult social care law in over 60 years, as the newly introduced Care Act reformed the law relating to care and support for adults and their carers.

When introduced on 1 April 2015, the Act replaced a number of different pieces of legislation with a single modern law and a new legal framework that has the well-being of individuals at the heart of care and support services.

In Shropshire, the council was already redesigning its service which meant that it was well prepared. The changes made as a result of this have enabled the council to better focus on the things that really matter and helped it to support people’s independence and promote their well-being, both key aspects of the Act.

Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult services, said:

“We want to enable people’s aspirations to flourish, whether those aspirations are to cook their own meals, go shopping or find employment. We don’t want people to develop a dependency on care services.

“In Shropshire a person’s journey starts by talking to us – either via our First Point of Contact or a Let’s Talk Local session. This approach enables that person to get the support they need more quickly.

“We talk to people about what they can do, rather than what they can’t do. We need to ensure that people can be part of their community, just like everyone else.”

In addition to the redesign, Shropshire Council has made some changes to ensure its practices are in line with the Act. These include the introduction of the new eligibility criteria and assessment process for carers.

Lee added:

“We’re pleased with how things are going and we are already working closely with our partners to prepare for next year’s changes to the way adult social care is funded.

“At the same time all councils are facing unprecedented financial pressure. This is clearly a big challenge and we therefore have to make sure that we make the most of our resources and deliver services as creatively and cost-effectively as possible.

“We’re actually increasing the amount of money being spent on prevention and enablement, so by working differently we can still provide services for people who need support, just in a different way.”

Further information

What has changed nationally?

The act came into effect on 1 April 2015. Key areas of change nationally include:

• Local authorities now have a general responsibility to promote people’s well-being, focusing on prevention and providing information and advice.
• The introduction of a consistent, national eligibility criteria. This gives people peace of mind that wherever someone lives in the country, or plan to move to within England, if their needs meet the threshold, they will be eligible for support. Also, if someone decides to move to another area, councils have to work together to guarantee that there is no gap in the person’s care.
• New rights to support for carers, so they have the same rights as the people for whom they care.
• Legal right to a personal budget and direct payment, for those who are eligible, to support their well-being and help them to remain independent for longer.
• The extension of local authority adult social care responsibility to include prisons.
• New responsibilities around keeping people free from harm and ensuring that their care and support is still maintained if external services fail.
• Deferred payment agreements are available across the whole of England. A deferred payment agreement is an arrangement with the council enabling people to use the value of their home to fund care home costs without having to sell their home in their lifetime.

Changes to the way that adult social care is funded will be effective from 1 April 2016, including:

• A lifetime ‘cap’ of no more than £72,000 for individuals to meet their eligible needs. This cap excludes daily living costs such as rent, food and utilities.
• An increase in the capital threshold for people in residential care who own their own home.