Funding for local authorities to implement adult social care charging reform

More than £15m has been given to local authorities across England to help them implement new social care charging reforms.

The introduction of charging reform, which will include a cap on the cost of care and a more generous means test, will result in an increase in demand for additional assessments and will require local authorities to upgrade IT systems to record and maintain care accounts.

The £15.5 million will be shared by local authorities to hire additional staff, prepare their workforce, and recruit dedicated IT staff to oversee the implementation of the care accounts.

This is the first portion of funding for local authorities to deliver the reform, with further support planned to strengthen capacity and support implementation of technology that can aide charging reform.

An additional £2.9m will also be distributed across select local authorities to cover the costs of implementing charging reform early.

These areas have been selected to ensure any insight, evidence and lessons learned from this initiative will be useful to providers and authorities to support the rollout across England.

Minister for Care, Gillian Keegan said: ‘Our charging reforms will mean no one will have to face unpredictable and often catastrophic care costs and this new funding will help local authorities to implement these vital changes.

‘We’re committed to fair and high-quality care, and this is the beginning of our journey of reform, creating the next step in making our ambitious plans a reality.

‘We’re working closely with local authorities, providers and care receivers to deliver a smooth transition into the new system to end unpredictable cost of care for the public.’

Adult social care charging reform includes a new lifetime cap of £86,000 on the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care, alongside a more generous means test for local authority financial support.

The transformed social care charging system, which includes a significant increase in state support, will apply to people in both residential and at-home care.

The government hopes this will ensure adult social care is fair and accessible to all who need it and protect people from unpredictable care costs.