Care Act and Carers
Clare Gilbert,
Nottingham City Council.
Penny Spice,
Nottinghamshire County Council.
Care Act: Well-being
• General overarching duty to promote well-being
• Applies to people receiving services & carers
• Generally defines well-being e.g., personal dignity, physical and mental
health and emotional well-being, protection from abuse & neglect….
• …and things the LA should have regard to, for example:
– To acknowledge the individual is best-placed to judge individual’s well-being
– To acknowledge individual’s views, wishes, feelings & beliefs
Care Act:
Information and advice
• Council must provide information & advice service relating to care and
support for adults & support for carers
• This should be for all, regardless of whether people are eligible for state
funded care (e.g. self-funders)
• Council should identify people who can benefit from financial advice
• Safeguarding advice available & advice about the care market
Care Act Promoting integrated care & support
Local Authority must attempt to integrate care & support with health where
this would:
• Promoting well being of adults in need of care and their carers
• Contribute to the prevention or delay of a need for care and support by
adults or their carers
• Improve the quality of care and support
• Talks about health provision and health related provision which includes
‘housing’
Care Act: Prevention
• Preventing or developing a need for care and support
• Delaying a need for care and support
• Applies to the person in receipt of care and carers
• Council must have regard to using existing services in their area
• Important to be proactive in terms of identifying needs
Carers
Care Act & Carers
Responsibility to assess a
carer’s own needs for
support the same as service
users
No longer a requirement that
the carer must provide ‘a
substantial amount of care
on a regular basis’ to qualify
for an assessment
Support to meet the needs
must be met if found eligible
– this could be services to
the carer directly or to the
person they are caring for
Carers should receive a
support plan with their
personal budget, which
includes information on the
cost of meeting their needs.
Nottingham
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Joint Carer Strategy
Revised carer assessment
Accessible information for carers
Carer Breaks
Primary Care support for Carers
Dementia and End of Life Care
Condition specific support
Nottingham City Council Services for Carers
cont:
• Personal Information Packs
• Services as part of citizen’s personal budget
– Care at home
– Day services
– Assistive Technology
– Personal Assistants
– Overnight respite
Nottingham City Council Services for Carers
• Carer’s First – Care Hub providing:
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Information, advice and advocacy
Financial and welfare support
Emotional and physical support
Carer Training
Cultural specific services
Peer support and social networks
Carers’ Assessments and Access to respite
• Action for Young Carers
• Carer Respite Service
• Learning Disability Respite Service
Nottinghamshire
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Carers Information Packs
Refresh of Carers Assessment
New policy Short Breaks for Carers
Personal budgets
Carer Champions in GP surgeries
Information & Advice Hub
Common Carer Questions
Q. “What happens to my husband if I’m in an accident?”
A. Carers Emergency Card - Free from County Council
Q. “What will happen to my mother if I need to go into hospital?”
A. Crisis Prevention service - Free from home based care (funded by NCC)
Q. “I really need a break.”
A. Carer Breaks - Free breaks from NHS
Q. “Where can I find information about caring?”
A. Ring NCC Customer Services Centre or Carers’ Federation - free phone service
Q. “I can’t sleep as I’m listening out for my partner who’s got dementia and wanders.”
A. Telecare for Carers - Free bed sensor from NCC
Nottinghamshire County Council Services for carers
• Carers’ Assessments
“What impact is caring having on my life?”
• Carers’ Personal Budgets
 Carers assessed as ‘substantial / critical need’ awarded up to £200
• Assistive technology
– bed exit alarms
– door exit alarms
– call buttons
Services for carers
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Carers’ Crisis Prevention Scheme
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Free NHS Carers’ breaks
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Emergency Card
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Advice and Information Services
(www.carersfederation.co.uk/adult-carer-support)
•
Looking After Me’
– free course available to adults who care for someone living with a long-term
health condition or disability