Adult Packages (AH3)

What will be the impact on voluntary organisations such as Citizen’s Advice, Age UK, GADD? What happens if they close?

We fully support the work of our voluntary sector partners and hope to continue to work with them in the future. However, the financial situation is such that the Council is not able to continue funding these organisations at current levels. The likely impact of the budget proposals on these organisations is currently being identified, following discussions with the organisations most affected. We hope that they are able to continue their work by looking at where they can make further cost and efficiency savings, but we appreciate that in some cases this may not be possible and it will therefore mean a reduction in the support they can offer to the residents of Darlington.  It could lead to the closure of organisations if they are unable to make the necessary changes for them to be sustainable, which will be very regrettable. We want to avoid this happening and we will support organisations making grant applications where we can. We will also be undertaking work to understand the impact of any reductions in service on individuals accessing them. 

What will changes to Adult Social Care mean for elderly people – will they get less support and have to pay more for services? What if they can’t afford it?

Adult Social Care will carry out an assessment to find out if an individual has eligible needs. The national eligibility criteria, as defined within the Care Act 2014, sets a minimum level for adult care and support needs which the Local Authority must meet.  If following an assessment, an individual has eligible needs then Adult Social Care will work with them to look at ways of meeting their needs. This may include support from family, friends, the community and, where appropriate, through the provision of services.

Individuals in receipt of support are financially assessed to see what level of contribution they need to make towards the cost of their care - individuals should only be required to pay what they can afford to.

There is a proposed reduction of approximately 4 per cent from current spend. This will be delivered through making people more aware of local support networks, improving independence through specialist support for those recovering from illness or injury, greater use of digital care technology, and more use of extra care accommodation.

There are some services that are currently provided free of charge or at subsidised rates, which the Council may charge for in the future. This would affect those who contribute to the cost of their care.