Support with your care needs

The Government has a new long-term vision for delivering adult social care in England that puts people and families at its heart. It is a vision that promotes independence and enables people to live well as part of a community, as well as providing more support for the workforce.

From October 2023 the Government is changing the way people in England pay for their care to make the system fairer:

• No one will have to pay more than £86,000 for their personal care costs. Currently there is no limit on how much you might pay.
• Individuals with less than £100,000 in savings and assets may be eligible for help from their local council with their care costs. Currently only those with less than £23,250 are eligible for state support.
• More people will be able to ask their local council to arrange their care for them to give them a choice of better value care.

Your care costs will typically be made up of your:

• Personal care costs – the amount you pay for your carers to help with tasks such as dressing, bathing, going to the toilet.
• Daily living costs – if you live in a care home for things such as food, rent, accommodation costs, and energy bills.

From October 2023 the amount you will have to pay for your personal care costs will be capped at £86,000, making it easier to plan ahead. This is equivalent to around three years in care.

Please continue to pay any financial contributions that you have been assessed to pay, you should not stop making any payment for your care and any contributions paid in the coming months will not be taken into account as part of the care cap. The care cap will look at contributions paid towards personal care from October 2023 only.

Please also note that once reaching the care cap you will still be required to continue to pay your daily living costs.

For more information on how these changes may affect you please visit the Social Care Reform (dhsc.gov.uk) website.

During the assessment process you will need to share details of your personal circumstances to ensure that any services you may receive are the most appropriate for you.

To make access to social care fair across the country, the Care Act 2014 sets out criteria for who is eligible to receive care services.

The national guidance states that you should meet three criteria.

You should:

• Have needs arising from a physical or mental impairment
• Not be able to meet two or more of the ‘Eligibility Outcomes’
• Be experiencing a significant impact on your wellbeing because of this.

You may also be classed as meeting the criteria if you:

• cannot reach the outcome without assistance
• can reach the outcome, but this causes you significant pain or stress
• can reach the outcome but it puts your health and safety at risk
• You can reach the outcome but it takes you much more time and effort than would be expected.

Why someone might need an advocate

It is important for everyone to be involved and have their say in decisions about their lives, including their care and support. An advocate can help you to get your views heard if you have difficulty doing this without support.

Advocates are independent. They are not there to give their opinion or to represent the opinions of particular organisations. They are there to support you and it is your views they are interested in hearing and representing.

An advocate might:

• Help you to access information that you need
• Accompany you to meetings/interviews if you want them to
• Assist you with correspondence such as letters or phone calls
• Represent your views in situations where you don’t feel able to speak for yourself.

Advocacy services in North Lincolnshire are provided by POhWER.

You may be referred to POhWER by a health or social care professional or community organisation. You can also get in contact with POhWER by yourself. Their services are free to all eligible adults. Email pohwer@pohwer.net or 0300 456 2370.

Those requiring more specialised forms of advocacy such as support from an independent mental health advocate or independent mental capacity advocate are appointed through a formal process depending on individual circumstances.

Adaptations are items and equipment for around your home and garden to make daily life easier. It may be that you need help getting up and down stairs or generally moving around.

Adaptations can be large items such as stair lifts or more simple products such as handrails to help with mobility or seat raiser for toilets for example.

For further information, go to our staying independent page.

Our Independent Living Centre will discuss options with you including smart technology, telecare and other small adaptations. If you need further support you will be referred to see an Occupational Therapist.

Handyperson scheme

The handyperson scheme can carry out minor repairs to your property and small works. In addition, if you been the victim of burglary or you are concerned about your home security, they may be able to help you. For further information see our handyperson scheme.

Home care, or domiciliary care, is support provided in the person’s own home to allow them to stay independent for as long as possible. A home carer is paid to carry out this service and so should not be confused with a voluntary carer, such as a family member.

For more information see our Rehabilitation and Reablement information above.

The thought of going to live in a care home can be worrying time, whether for yourself or someone else. It is an important decision to make and one that we can help you with. Before you make your decision consider if there may be other options to living in a care home.

Many people employ a Personal Assistant or a Home Carer to provide care in their own home. It is important to make sure you have explored all your options before making the decision to move into a care home. If you need some help or advice you can contact Adult Services on 01724 297000 who can help you explore your options to help you make a decision about what will be best for you.

Further information, including how to find a care home is available on our choosing a care home page.