North Lincolnshire Council arranges care for people in their own homes and in residential and nursing homes.
How does it balance the needs and wishes of people with the money that it has available?
What limits are there to providing care at home?
The council has a fixed amount of money to spend, so:
- we have to target services to those people most in need of help;
- we have to provide help in the most cost-effective way possible;
- we have limits to the amount of care we can provide in your own home; and
- if you need a great deal of help to stay at home then we may need to discuss other ways to meet your needs.
We will not change the amount of your care at home or the way we provide for your needs without consulting you first.
We do try to respect your wishes for care at home if we can meet your needs in that way.
If home care can no longer meet your needs, or if it uses so many staff hours that it limits the care we can give to other people, then we would re-assess your situation with you and discuss the alternatives.
What would this take into account?
We would discuss with you:
- whether this increase in your need for help is temporary;
- whether there other ways to pay for the extra help you need;
- whether there are services available that do not have an extra cost to social services but which would meet your needs; and
- what would happen to you or your family without the extra help we think you need.
And if I can’t stay at home?
When all these factors have been considered it may be possible to work with you to stay at home.
We would talk to you about the alternatives. These may include working with you and your family to find the right kind of residential care for you.
You have a legal right to choose the residential home you would like to live in.
We would help you to understand the funding of your care and what you would have to pay, if anything.