Responding to the Care Charges Consultation

When responding to a consultation, using your own words and experiences helps to make your contribution stand out.  We have chosen not to produce a single standard response in order to encourage more individual replies. 

But we would like to make it as easy as possible for you to reply to the consultation and have put together some bullet points for you to consider before answering each of the questions.   Feel free to base your responses around these points or as a spark to write your own comments based on your personal experiences and views. 

            Bullets Points for each Consultation Question

 1.       Do you support the principle that non-residential social care services should be available free at the point of delivery to those who have been assessed by a relevant professional as requiring them (as is the case within health care)?

Yes

·       Human rights should not be affected by which organisation, NHS or local authority social care, gives you help or support.

·       Having to pay to exercise basic rights like to get out of bed discriminates against disabled people.

·       Care charging is an unnecessary barrier for proper Health and Social Care Integration

·       Any distinction between “health” and “social” care is false. Poor social care will lead to poor health.  Poor health care will make good social care very hard.   The distinction is based on outmoded values and approaches.

·       Some people worry that more people will ask for social care if it is free but already not everyone who asks for help gets it.    Local authorities and health services already have elaborate systems established to ensure that only people who need help get it.  These include assessment systems and eligibility criteria which are likely to stop lots more people getting social care, even if it is free. 

·       Care charging financially disadvantages disabled people and can push them into poverty

Read more: Some points to help you think about the consultation