Have your say on proposed arrangement one-off fee for self-funders who fund their own adult social care

Overview

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) wants to hear residents’ views on the introduction of a proposed one-off fee for those who entirely self-fund their own adult social care, either in their own home or in a residential setting.

The proposed fee is to support the Council's administration costs when arranging care on behalf of someone who self-funds when the Council acts as a conduit between the self-funder and the care providers.

The Councils seeking your views on the proposed self-funder fee and subsequent amends to the Adult Social Care Fees and Charging Policy.

Background

Currently, the Council has an Adult Social Care Fees and Charges Policy which details the fees and charges that are applicable to a person accessing social care support from the Council.

The proposed one-off fee will apply to those who self-fund their own care and have capital assets above the current upper care limit of £23,250. This threshold is set to increase in autumn next year following the Government announcement, introducing a new upper care limit of £100,000, meaning that those who self-fund will have capital assets above this new threshold.

Related Information

You can find out more about the wider adult social care charging reform, including the new threshold by visiting:

• Adult Social Care- Social Care Charging Reform - West Northamptonshire Council 's information on Adult Social Care Reform.
• Frequently Asked Questions - the Government's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which explain some of the upcoming changes.

What is this consultation about?

At present the council does not charge an administration fee for arranging social care for someone who is able to self-fund their own care. However, the Care and Support statutory guidance gives local authorities the discretion to impose an administration fee to arrange this care on behalf of a self-funder.

This consultation is asking for your feedback on the proposal to amend the Adult Social Care Fees and Charges Policy to implement a one-off fee for those who appoint the Council to arrange care on a self-funders behalf.

Have your say

Although not compulsory, a person who meets this self-fund threshold can ask the Council to arrange their adult social care on their behalf due to reasons such as; the person finding the system too difficult to navigate, or wishing to take advantage of the Council’s knowledge of the local market of care and support services. Therefore, this one-off administration fee will only apply to individuals who wish the Council to provide this service for them.

 Please tell us your viewson our proposals by:

• completing the online survey - using the link below. You do not have to answer all of the questions or give us your feedback on every section. If you do not wish to answer a question or give feedback on a specific section, then you can skip those questions and move on to the next section.
• attending a drop in event - details are below. You need only to attend one event. No booking is required.
• emailing or sending your comments by post using the contact details below

Your feedback on this consultation is really important to us. All consultation feedback will be analysed and considered, and will help Councillors make a final decision. Your feedback will be part of a report with many other people’s feedback, so you will not be personally identified. The report will be considered by Councillors in February 2023. 

If you have any queries, comments or would like a copy of this survey in another format, you can contact us by email, post or telephone. Our contact details are as follows: 

Email address:  FinancialAssessments.NCC@westnorthants.gov.uk 

Postal Address:

• Consultation:Proposed arrangement on one-fee for self-funders 
• West Northamptonshire Council
• The Guildhall, St Giles Square
• Northampton
• NN1 1DE

Attend a drop in event

Residents can put forward their views, ask questions and receive feedback at the following consultation drop in events which will take place across West Northamptonshire:  

• Tuesday 15 November 2022 - 3pm to 5pm at WNC, Cabinet Room, The Forum, Moat Lane, Towcester, NN12 6AD
• Wednesday 16 November 2022, 5pm to 7pm at the Gladstone Resource Centre, Gladstone Road, Northampton, NN5 7EJ 
• Thursday 17 November 202 -  6pm to 8pm at WNC, Council Chamber, Lodge Road, Daventry, NN11 4FP

This consultation will run from 9 November to midnight on 6 December 2022.

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.

Thank you for helping us by taking part in this consultation.