16 Thursday August 27, 2015
t
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somersetcountygazette.co.uk/care_matters
THE County Gazette has teamed up with
Ashfords & Care Focus to bring you this
monthly feature – Care Matters.
Newsdesk: 01823 365102
CARE MATTERS
The section will bring you expert advice and
news to help you confront the often complex
and confusing world of social care.
To get in touch with your questions or stories,
email [email protected] or call
01823-365100.
Taxation without
representation?
Andrew Carrigan
YOU can contact Andrew via email: [email protected]
or by phone on 01823-232339.
Before retiring for the Summer Recess the Government announced that it would delay some
of the initiatives set out in last
year’s Care Act that were due to
come into effect on 1 April next
year.
This month we explain how the
current system of funding acts as
a form of tax on people who have
to arrange and pay for their own
care.
THE Government has delayed the
introduction of changes to the
funding of Social Care that featured heavily in the pre-election
campaign. The ‘flagship’ policy
was the introduction of an upper limit anyone would have
to pay towards their own care.
However, and as explained in a
previous Care Matters feature,
the Care Cap was never what it
seemed and would have had limited beneficial effects. Bearing in
mind the burden administering
the system would have placed on
Local Authorities it is perhaps
understandable that its introduction has been delayed.
Of more immediate concern are
two changes that were to accompany the Care Cap. The means
test that is applied to people in
need of ‘social care’ was to be altered. You would have been able
to hold more savings before having to contribute to the cost of
your care. The point at which you
would have to meet all your care
costs would also have increased.
It is estimated that these changes
would have led to 23,000 people
with modest savings receiving
a greater contribution towards
their care costs.
People who required care would
have been able to ask the Local
Authority to arrange that support
for them. At the moment anyone
with assets worth more than
£23,250 must arrange and pay for
their own care. However, in Somerset, as in most other counties,
the Local Authority uses the fact
that it is a major purchaser of
care to negotiate lower rates than
you or I could obtain.
To protect the public purse, and
given increased demand and the
squeeze on budgets, the Local
Authority negotiates hard. That
is what we would expect, but that
commercial pressure has consequences. One effect is that people
who arrange their own care pay
more for the same services than
is charged to care for someone
funded by the Local Authority.
In effect the care that is arranged by the state is funded,
in part, by people who pay for
their own care. That support
is not through the tax system
but through the price that self-
Choosing a quality care home
HAVE you ever thought
about what would happen
if you needed full- time
care and support for yourself or a family member? I
have worked in the sector
for many years but found
myself supporting my family with exactly this a couple of years ago. Choosing
a care home is a big decision, and one that so many
of us find ourselves making, often in a hurry as a
result of health crisis such
as a fall or stroke. So how
do you ensure you choose a
quality service whilst battling your emotions, navigating a range of professionals, understanding a
wealth of information and
last but by no means least,
grappling with the financial implications?
There are many elements
you may need to consider;
cost, location, level of care
Claire Waddon from Care
Focus
offered (does it include
nursing) but the key aspect for me, was ensuring
the patriarch of our family
was going to be safe, well
looked after and treated as
an individual, with dignity
and respect, so here are my
tips:
Check - Before you visit
any care provider it is
always helpful if you or
someone you trust can do
some research. Take a look
at things like:
• The Care Quality Commission report and rating
of the service.
• If the service is approved by the Somerset
County Council.
• What other people think
about the provider.
Visit - Where possible,
identify three homes and
visit each more than once,
at different times of the
day. Staying for a few days
to get the ’feel’ of the place
is always a good idea. Speak
to different members of
staff, other residents and
relatives, take notice of
the decor and cleanliness,
room sizes and facilities,
food options and flexibility
of meal times. Look to see
what activities are going
on and how staff behave
with residents and each
other. Ask about bringing
255911 (Mon-Fri, 10am-3.30pm), Text: 07568109960, Minicom: 01823-255919,-mail: info@
compasscarers.org.uk, website: www.compasscarers.org.uk or find us on ‘Facebook’
COMPASS Carers be holding seminars on
Lasting Powers of Attorney at the Carers
Groups in Yeovil on 10 September, Chard
on 14 September and Bridgwater on 22 October.
Contact us for further details on 01823-
The Changes that are delayed until at
least 2020:
• The introduction of the £72,000 Care
Cap.
• The right for people funding their own
care to have it arranged for them by the Lo-
your own furniture or possessions, whether guests
can stay overnight or visit
at any time, and how much
choice and freedom you
will have to live life the
way you enjoy it.
Ask – Make a list of the
questions you or your
loved one want answered.
These are likely to be about
your personal choices and
preferences and should
help you make an informed
decision Alternatively, you
could use one of the many
checklists available from
organisations such as Age
UK, Alzheimer’s Society,
Voluntary Organisations
Disability Group and Care
UK, to mention only a few!
Some are quite detailed but
even if you don’t want to
use them in full, they will
provide you some prompts
about what you may consider important.
funders pay for an hour of care
provided in their home or the cost
of a week in residential care.
It is not clear what the value of
this re-distribution of wealth is
in cash terms, but overall the Government thinks that introducing
the planned changes would cost
Local Authorities an extra £6billion in the next 5 years.
The care sector is also dealing
with the demands of meeting the
new minimum wage of £9 per
hour by 2020 and lifting the quality of care provision generally.
If the bias against self-funders
persists there is a risk that the
differential will increase and that
the majority of home owners who
go into care will be left with just
£14,250 when they die.
Quality ratings of care homes
for adults in Somerset
Since October 2014, 42
care homes have been
inspected under the
new CQC model. Here
are the 30 that have
been rated Outstanding
and Good.
Outstanding:
l Ashcroft – 3
Dimensions Care
Good:
l Avalon Court
l Beauchamp House
l Burnworthy House
l Calway House
l Careford Lodge
l Catherine House
l Frethy House
l Frith House
l Hillview Nursing
Home
l Holywell Nursing
cal Authority.
• The increase in the point at which a person is completely self-funding from £23,250
to £27,000 or £118,000 if you own your home.
• The increase in the point at which a
person’s care costs will be met by the state
from £14,250 to £17,000.
Health and Welfare Powers of Attorney
will have added significance following the
proposed improved care guidelines.
Read more here - http://www.ash-
Home
l Linden House
l Milton House
l Northmead House
l Oak Lodge care Home
l The Burnham
Nursing and Residential
Centre
l The Firs Nursing
Home
l The Manor
l The Old Vicarage
l The Rectory
l The Towan Care Home
l The Wheelhouse
l Wellington and
Longforth house
l West Abbey
l Gordon Villa
l Bridgwater Court
l Huish House
l Halcon House
l The Knowls
l Fiennes House
fords.co.uk/improved-care-guidelines%E2%80%93-make-your-wishes-heard/
Ashfords LLP’s Trusts and Estates Team
considers the Inheritance (Provision for
Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and the
recent ruling by the Court of Appeal in the
case of IIott v Mitson [2015] EWCA Civ 797.
Read more here http://www.ashfords.co.uk/inheritance(provision-for-family-and-dependants)act-1975/