Agenda item

The Committee will receive feedback from the BCP Adult Social Care Charging Strategy Working Group. The Working Group was convened to make recommendations to Committee on the draft policy, with this meeting considering proposals for public consultation. The proposals would then be agreed by Cabinet.

The Senior Research Officer, Service Director for Adult Social Care and the Head of Service Development presented a report, a copy of which has been circulated and appears as Appendix ‘A’ of these minutes in the Minute Book.

The report presented the committee with proposals for a public consultation which would outline the principles for a new BCP Adult Social Care Charging Policy.

An updated policy was required to align the policies of the three predecessor councils and to ensure all residents, carers and clients across BCP received an equitable service. Following consideration by Committee any recommendations would be included in a report considered by Cabinet, for approval, on 20 December.

The Service Director forAdult Social Care Services explained that the Bournemouth and Poole Policies had recently been reviewed and were notdissimilar. The policy in Christchurch was a legacy policy from the former Dorset County Council.  It was important to be mindful of the potential impact of increases in charging for Christchurch residents, as it was Christchurch residents who pay the maxium level of charge, who would see the most significant change as a result of the principles proposed in the report.

The Head of Service Development outlined the charging options within the report. It was highlighted that the recommended model was a Full Cost Recovery Model, which meant the maximum charge for a service would be the cost of delivering that service. No profit would be made by the Council and only residents who could afford to pay would be required to do so. It was particularly highlighted that this was not an income raising proposition.

Details of the proposed changes to key charges were explained to the Committee. These were identified within the report and included charges for out of area assessments, (which would be charged to other Councils),  deferred payments, day centres and standard transport. 

It was highlighted that due to the General Election on 12^th December, the Cabinet meeting had been postponed which meant the dates for the consultation, within the report, would be put back a few weeks.

The Senior Research Officer informed the Committee that all service users would be sent a consultation document, a questionnaire and a free post envelope.

The consultation document would explain the background and reasons for the changes. It would then, for each proposal, explain the service, the current situation, the proposal and its impact. Service users would also be given information on where further help and information was available.

The principles for the consultation included using plain and simple language, having a clear layout, easy read versions, translations and audio versions, and drop in events for questions. The Committee where talked through the day centre attendance proposal as an example. The general public will also be able to participate in the consultation through an on-line survey.

Several questions were raised and discussed by members some of which included;

• That the financial assessments would be individually assessed, and each client’s case would be reviewed before implementation in order to understand the client’s needs and individual circumstances;
• Details around the process for communication;
• The potential for mitigating factors to be put in place where there is the potential to cause hardship;
• That the Working Group and the Committee would be given the opportunity to comment on the consultation results before the final strategy is presented to Cabinet;
• The importance of bearing in mind the potential impact on individuals who might choose to stay home rather than attend a day centre because they don’t want to pay;
• That the charges would be reviewed each year to consider issues such as inflation given the principle of full cost recovery being proposed;
• Whether the letters would outline the implications of the changes;
• The importance of ensuring clear messaging to mitigate and avoid anxiety;
• That work with day centres and providers would be undertaken to ensure they can support people with concerns;

·         That the consultation would look at whether to include transport costs within the daycare charge;

·         Details of deferred payments, particularly the annual fee on homes and the interest rates. The interest rate would be circulated to members after the meeting;

The Chairman gave the Committee an update on the Work of the Adult Social Care Charging Policy Working Group. During their first meeting several principles were agreed to help facilitate the development of the proposals. The second meeting considered a list of the proposals and a breakdown of the individual service costs. 

It was agreed the consultation would be extended from 6 to 8 weeks and members emphasized that the consultation and explanatory letters should be clear, honest, accessible and easy to understand. All service users and carers in the area would be consulted and the consultation would be open to members of the public.

The Group requested sight of the questionnaire before it went out to members of the public.  Members requested the dates for consultation events so they could attend.

The next meeting of the Working Group would be held in April/May and would consider the consultation feedback and analysis of the response. Policy approval would be in summer 2020.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)  The Committee considered and commented on the Cabinet Recommendations.