Decision details
Decision to award the contract for an on-line financial assessment tool to Looking Local
Decision Maker: Corporate Director - Community Wellbeing
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Purpose:
The government is changing how personal care
is paid for from October 2023. It will introduce:
• A new £86,000 lifetime cap on the amount anyone in
England will need to spend on their personal care over their
lifetime; only personal client contributions will count towards the
cap
• An extended means test, enabling state support for anyone
with up to £100,000 of assets (current limit £23,250),
and ensuring that anyone with assets under £20,000 will not
have to pay anything for their care from their assets. They will
still contribute towards their care from their available
income.
Whilst the changes above become law in October 2023, local
authorities can start to prepare by undertaking care and financial
assessments from April 2023.
The introduction of these reforms impacts on system and workforce
capacity requirements for local authorities. Herefordshire Council
must implement system changes in line with operational guidance
issued by the Department for Health and Social Care and increase
its workforce and operational efficiency as required to meet
additional demands for assessments and commissioning care.
It is recognised that there are opportunities for digital
technology to supplement and enhance the process for conducting
financial assessments and operational efficiency.
Self-service provision can speed up the assessment process and
frees up financial assessment officer time to deal with more
complex cases and provide customer focus.
Moving financial assessments earlier into the assessment process
via a self-service model enables service users or their families to
complete the form in their own time, and can inform people of any
potential contributions upfront reducing stress through financial
uncertainty.
Where home visits are still necessary, officers can utilise the
tool to record financial assessments, reducing paper usage, and
time spent scanning and indexing documents.
People eligible for help with care needs are likely to be eligible
for other benefits. This product also ensures people are aware of
benefits they are entitled to, giving them a direct route to apply
for them via the BetterOff product that the council current
uses.
Contact: Hilary Hall, Corporate Director Community Wellbeing Email: Hilary.Hall@herefordshire.gov.uk.
Publication date: 17/11/2022
Date of decision: 28/10/2022
Accompanying Documents: