Anne Bristow (Corporate Director, Adult and Community Services) gave a presentation to the Board. The Board raised the following comments or issues in response to the report and presentation slides:
· The nurturing of social enterprises will be important to create a vibrant market for users of personal budgets.
· Much of the political debate around the funding reform has focussed on elderly people and the protection of their assets. There has been less consideration given to how the new funding system will work for younger working age adults.
· The borough will need to develop independent financial advice services to help people who need to contribute to their care package and explain options such as deferred payments.
· It is anticipated that in April 2016 there will be a major surge in demand for care assessments. It will be important that the assessments are thorough and attention is paid to the eligibility criteria to ensure that the Council can afford to meet the needs of those who require a care package.
· Portable Care Accounts will prove challenging as it will be difficult to keep accurate records for people who have been in the system for a long time or have moved home to become the responsibility of another local authority.
· Healthwatch will have an important role to play in helping residents to understand the Bill and its impacts on their care and support.
The H&WBB agreed to:
· Note the wide ranging implications of the Care Bill and the steps being taken to prepare for the Bill by the local authority.
· Agree on how the Health and Wellbeing Board might respond to the Bill and prepare for its implementation over the coming year.
· Note the opportunity to attend a workshop on the legal implications of the Care Bill (para 5.1).