Hartlepool Borough Council is asking people to give their views on some changes it is looking to make to its Adult Social Care Charging Policy.
The changes will help the Council tackle the growing pressures it faces in the rising costs of, and increasing demand for, care and help ensure it can maintain services.
The Council is suggesting three main changes:
* An annual inflation increase to the contribution people make towards their care costs, in line with inflation and benefit increases.
Currently, how much a person pays towards their care usually stays the same, even though care costs go up each year because of inflation and wage increases. It’s proposed that from April each year, what a person pays will go up in line with inflation and benefit increases, which will avoid sudden large increases later.
* Including overnight care payments when the Council works out how much a person needs to pay for their care.
If a person gets higher-rate Attendance Allowance or PIP (which includes money for overnight care), the Council currently ignores this extra amount when working out how much the person pays towards their care. It’s proposed that if the person doesn’t need overnight care, the Council will count this extra money as income in the person’s financial assessment, making charging fairer for everyone.
* The introduction of a fee if the Council has to manage a person’s benefits on their behalf. This reflects the increasing demand for this service and the pressure it places on the Council’s resources.
Councillor Gary Allen, Chair of the Council’s Adult Services and Public Health Committee, said: “In common with other local authorities round the country, the Council faces growing pressures in terms of the rising costs of care and the increasing demand for these services.
“These proposed changes will help to address that, make the charging process fairer for everyone and help ensure that we can continue to provide these services.
“We want to know what people think about them, so I would very much encourage people to take part in the consultation and give us their views.”
People can find out more and take part in the consultation at yoursay.hartlepool.gov.uk/adult-social-care-charging-policy. The consultation ends on Monday 9 February.