Waiving charging and eligibility rules for emergency social care
We believe that current, often slow assessment of care processes and rigid eligibility criteria must be waived during this period. It is vital that support is provided where and when it is needed, as quickly as possible. Current reablement processes on discharge from hospital may be a good template for delivery of this type of model.
Where there are charges for social care, we believe it is vital that charging rules are waived for emergency social care during this period. It does not make economic or practical sense for a system that is trying to cope with an emergency to apply means-testing and a financial assessment at the point of need. Nor should any bill be sent after the event.
We need to be reassured that if people need social care in an emergency, that it will be free at the point of delivery and Governments need to fund local authorities to be able to do so.
Carers UK have issued some further guidance for carers which is now available on our website. This guidance addresses some of the questions that carers have been asking on the Forum and on social media.
Hello all. The Government’s latest ‘Guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19’ (published on 21 March) can be found here:
The Government has announced that, as of Monday 6th July, the 2.2 million people shielding from coronavirus can gather in groups of up to six people outdoors and form a ‘support bubble’ with another household. From Saturday 1st August, the guidance will then be relaxed so clinically extremely vulnerable people will no longer be advised to shield.
Carers UK has today responded to the Government’s easing of these restrictions and our full response is available here: