Enfield Carers Centre (ECC) has expressed serious concerns about Enfield Council's proposals to change the formula for calculating how much to charge for social care. Specifically, the proposals would affect people who require night-time care, some of whom stand to see the amount charged rising by £27.45 per week while their income has not increased.
ECC is asking all Enfield residents, including those not personally affected, to respond to the consultation which is currently in progress - the deadline for responses is 10th October.
To explain in greatly simplified terms: Assessment of the amount to charge for council-funded social care takes into account the recipient's ability to pay. The calculations take into account a person's incomes from various sources, but particular types of income are disregarded. Such disregarded income includes disability benefits paid by the Department of Work and Pensions. However, Enfield Council is now proposing to save money by starting to count some particular DWP benefits as "income", specifically the additional benefits payable to people who require night-time care.
The implications of the proposals are set out in more detail in the linked documents below.
This article was edited on 24th August to correct a factual error pointed out by Enfield Carers Centre.
Links
Social Care Charging Policy Consultation on Enfield Council website
Frequently Asked Questions (updated version)
Introduction on the Healthwatch Enfield website
Introduction on the Enfield Carers Centre website
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