Long social care wait for many vulnerable adults

Brian Witherspoon waited three months for an initial assessment by Bath and North East Somerset

At least 700 people in the West of England have had to wait more than six months for a Care Act assessment, according to figures obtained by the BBC.

Acquired by a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request, the figures showed a huge variation in local authorities - with 246 people covered by Dorset Council waiting more than six months for an assessment compared with just two in the Wiltshire Council area.

Serving a population twice as large as Dorset, Bristol City Council had 263.

The government said it would take steps to create a National Care Service with the aim of delivering consistency of care across the country.

'Not satisfied'

Dorset Council said it triaged for risk and undertook an initial assessment at the first point of contact with those requesting support.

It said: "We are not satisfied with our current performance and have undertaken analysis of our demand for support, where and how we can improve our performance to deliver Care Act assessments closer to the point of contact for people.

"We have a programme of work targeted at this improvement and this is already showing a reduction in the number of people waiting for an assessment and also the length of time they may wait.”

Eligibility

Carried out by an appropriately trained assessor, such as a social worker, a Care Act Assessment is how a local authority decides whether a person needs care and support to help them live their day-to-day life.

After the assessment, the local authority would then consider whether a person was eligible for support.

While Gloucestershire County Council did not provide the figures for people waiting more than six months, the FOI request found there are currently 508 people for assessments in the county.

'National challenges'

Age UK Somerset said people were facing an average wait of three months for their initial assessment, against a 28 day target, and they had supported some people who were waiting eight to 10 months, or more.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said: “Like many Local Authorities nationally, we have faced challenges with Care Act Assessments but have brought in innovative solutions to reduce waiting times and our waiting list by more than 50%."

"Our performance is under constant scrutiny with clear trajectories in place which is monitored through our Adult Social Care leadership team on a weekly basis.”

Meanwhile, leader of Wiltshire Council Richard Clewer said due to staff's "hard work", no one is now waiting over six months for an assessment.

He said: “We know how important it is that people’s social care needs are assessed as soon as possible so they can receive the right support for them.

"That’s why we have prioritised Care Act assessments to ensure our residents receive a timely response."

Stephanie Barton said they were concerned over a reassessment for her step father Brian's case

Brian Witherspoon, 86, from Bath, who has dementia and other conditions, had to wait three months for an assessment by social services for nursing care.

Mr Witherspoon was moved into a Bath residential home in March, but after suffering at least 12 falls, one resulting in a head injury, his carers felt he should receive more specialist support.

He has since moved into a nursing home in Bathwick after an assessment by social services for nursing in June.

His step daughter Stephanie Barton said he will need to be reassessed again if he will continue to need nursing care.

'False hope'

"Honestly to all of us it seems quite ridiculous and just adds to another concern," she said.

"We are given false hope and then if it’s a case of 'no', we have to wait further and we don’t quite understand what the delay is," she added.

Bath and North East Somerset Council, who were undertaking the assessments, said while he may need to undergo a reassessment, they "would like to reassure Mr Witherspoon’s family that we have not suggested he would need to move" from his current residence."

'Waiting a very long time'

Nuffield Trust, an independent health think tank, has warned the government's recent decision to discontinue the Adult Social Care Training and Development Fund will not help the backlog.

The social care plan would have introduced an £86,000 cap on the amount an older or disabled person would have to pay towards their support at home or in care homes from next October.

After spending £86,000 on their care, people with a high level of need would have had their care costs paid for by local authorities.

Health think tank Nuffield Trust says the way to clear the backlog is to "expand the workforce" and the number of people providing care.

The threshold for getting some council support to pay for costs, before exceeding the cap, would also be made more generous, with people with assets up to £100,000 able to qualify, rather than £23,250 currently.

Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Policy, Natasha Curry said: "The situation we are having at the moment is that people are waiting a very long time for care assessments. That means people are... not living their lives to the full."

Ms Curry said the only way to clear the backlog was to "expand the workforce" and the number of people providing care.

"It is essential we retain them," she added.

Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock says the government plans a new pay deal for care workers

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock MP said: "Whilst the Adult Social Care Training and Development Fund will not be taken forward, we still intend to provide funding for Adult Social Care Learning and Development, with the budget maintained at the level we spent last year."

He also said they plan to include a new deal for care workers through a Fair Pay Agreement.

"We will also take steps to create a National Care Service underpinned by national standards, with the aim of delivering consistency of care across the country," he added.