Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) assess peoples’ eligibility for social care services according to statutory guidance, issued under section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, entitled “Fair Access to Care Services—guidance on eligibility criteria for adult social care”, which was issued in 2003. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
“Fair Access to Care Services” is shortly to be replaced by new statutory guidance, “Prioritising need in the context of Putting People First: A whole system approach to eligibility for social care”, which was published on 25 February 2010 and will take effect from 1 April 2010. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Data on the number of adults aged 18 and over receiving social care services funded by CASSRs are collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care as part of the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) return.
The table shows the number of service users aged 18 and over receiving social care services in Cambridgeshire in 2008-09 by service category.
Type of service Number of clients (rounded numbers) Residential care 2,075 Nursing care 930 Community based Services3, 4 12,775 Of which: Day Care 2,465 Direct Payments 645 Equipment and adaptations 4,915 Home Care 6,165 Meals 260 Other 555 Professional support 2,020 Short term residential, not respite 30 Total number of clients receiving services2 15,130 1 Data for 2008-09 are provisional, final data are expected to be published on 28 April 2010. 2 The ‘Total number of clients receiving services’ is the number of clients receiving one or more services at some point during the year, excluding double counting. 3 This is the total number of clients receiving community based services during the year, excluding double counting. 4 A client may have received more than one type of community based service during the year and thus there may be some double counting across service categories. Source: RAP form P1 and P2f
There has been no estimate made that providing adult social care in Cambridgeshire would cost £103 a week. The impact assessment which accompanies the Personal Care at Home Bill sets out the methodology used to estimate the additional costs of providing free personal care at home nationally to those in the highest need. The figure was arrived at using information contained in annex B of the impact assessment—which has already been placed in the Library—as follows:
1. Average number of hours of personal care per week provided for those in highest need = 6.54.
2. Estimated cost of that care per hour, based on 2011-12 prices = £15.75
3. 6.54 x £15.75 = £103 per week.