A 229% leap in care assessment queries as people struggle to get help

The number of enquiries about social care needs assessments has risen by 229 per cent in 2021/22 compared to 2019/20, according to a report by a charity which found councils are telling people they do not have to offer routine assessments.

Access Social Care, a charity giving legal advice for people with care needs, has published its annual State of the Nation report based on data from the Care & Support Alliance, Mencap, Age UK, RNIB, Independent Age and Carers UK.

Its analysis of their helplines as part of the data collaboration project, has also revealed the number of people calling about problems with existing social care and support have risen by 43 per cent in 2021/22, compared to 2019/20.

The charity has also reported that people's wellbeing is at risk, as the public is told by some local authority staff that they do not have to give care needs assessments.

'Unofficial easements'

The Coronavirus Act 2020 (introduced 25 March 2020) gave local authorities the power to implement Care Act 2014 easements. This granted councils the right to use emergency powers to cease routine assessments as well as other statutory duties.

While no local authorities are currently implementing these powers, Access Social Care has revealed anecdotal evidence from the care sector ‘that some local authority staff are telling people who may have care and support needs that because of coronavirus, they do not have to/cannot carry out routine assessments’.

These ‘unofficial easements’ has led to many people finding ‘it hard or even impossible to arrange an assessment of care and support needs from their local authority’ resulting in the person’s wellbeing having ‘spiralled’.

Hannah Hewish, co-author of the report stated: ‘We understand from group members that throughout the pandemic, many people have found it hard or even impossible to arrange an assessment of care and support needs from their local authority.

‘Some are requesting assessments for the first time, others are people already receiving care and support and have experienced a significant increase in need for support as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

‘In many of the latter cases, it has not been possible to secure the right assessment to look at increasing care, and the person’s wellbeing has spiralled.’

Enquiries about care fees rose by 45 per cent

In May 2022, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) reported that almost 170,000 hours a week of home care could not be delivered because of a shortage of care workers during the first three months of 2022.

The charity's State of Nation report stated: 'This shortage is being seen in the enquiries our members are receiving, with some individuals being told there are not enough staff to meet their care needs.'

The report also revealed that more people are having to pay increasing amounts for their social care and are finding it more difficult to make ends meet.

Advice for people concerned about social care fees that are due rose by 45 per cent in March 2021, when compared to April 2019.

Local authorities have continued to adopt the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG). This is a protected amount of money to make sure people living in their own home who need social care have enough money to pay for their everyday living costs, after they have paid for care. It is the minimum amount required by law, but not every local authority has adopted this guarantee previously.

Some local authorities reviewed their own charging policies and made changes in line with cost efficiencies for the April 2021/22 budgets.

The charity states some councils have made clear that they have no option but to increase charges for people’s social care to meet cost efficiency targets.

Calls to helplines from family carers rose by 394%

The report also revealed that call enquiries to helplines from family carers rose by 394 per cent in April 2021, compared to March 2019.

Charities received calls came from carers ‘feeling suicidal’ and unable to access appropriate respite support or vital support directly for their loved ones.

Advice for carers rose drastically in the first wave of the pandemic, when many day services across the country closed. Some people with care and support needs returned from supported living or care homes to their families.

Carers called up particularly concerned about assessments, not enough hours of support or losing support entirely (for examples when day centres closed), cuts to care services, including respite services and delays in assessments and delivery of care.

Some referrals from carers have related to carers feeling isolated, lonely and increasingly in the second wave of the pandemic, suicidal in the midst of their caring responsibilities.

Carers UK stated: “Unpaid carers are at breaking point, exhausted after more than two years of caring with little or no outside support. The impact on a social care system that was already on the brink of collapse before the pandemic means even more pressure on even more families who are propping up a chronic shortage of services.

“With hundreds of thousands of people now waiting for an assessment or service, sustainable funding for social care is essential, without which many thousands of carers and families will simply be unable to cope much longer."

The State of the Nation report also stated: 'We are concerned that the increasing number of enquiries about assessments, coupled with the delays people are already facing, points to a system on the verge of collapse.

'This dire situation is only going to worsen due to growing demand, as 500,000 people are awaiting assessments or care and support provision alone.'