Derby City Council is proposing to introduce charges for home care and day care services for adults.

Why we are proposing to re-introduce charging

The needs of people in Derby are changing. We are living longer and often need more support with personal care and other care services provided by the Council. In particular, the number of older people in Derby who are aged 85 years or over is set to grow by 50% over the next 20 years.

In the past three years the Council has faced financial pressures in providing care. We have looked carefully at how money is spent and we are satisfied that no further reductions can be made without affecting the level or quality of services which we provide. The council is committed to maintaining at least the current level of adult social care services in Derby. We therefore need additional income.

How the proposed charges compare to other councils

Almost all other councils across the country already charge for adult social care services. There are national rules about how charges should be applied; these are known as 'Fairer Charging'. Fairer charging rules make sure that there is a minimum disposable income before anyone is required to pay. This minimum is set at Income Support level, plus 25%. For an older single person, for example, this is £155 per week. This is to make sure that only people who can afford to pay are charged.

The charges that we propose would mean that Derby's charges would be the lowest in the East Midlands region (of the councils that do charge).

Read more about the charging proposal in this question and answer document.

Consultation

Between 4 July and 15 August 2008, service users, Derby residents and stakeholders were invited to complete a questionnaire to give their views on the proposals to introduce charges.

Two events have been organised for stakeholders to provide a local understanding of the social care change agenda, clarify the proposed rationale for charging and the proposed charging scheme, and to introduce Derby stakeholders to the national consultation on a ‘New Care and Support System’.

Next Steps

The results of this consultation will be considered at the Council Cabinet meeting on 30 September 2008.

Information about the results of this consultation will be reported in a future edition of Your Derby, at the Council's Diversity Forum meetings and on this page of the Council's website.