Adult Social Care Charging Policy Consultation

Brent Council is responsible for Adult Social Care services for adults aged 18 or over. As is the case for most councils in London, Brent charges residents who are able to pay for these services. 

Everybody who receives an Adult Social Care service has a financial assessment, which works out whether they can afford to contribute towards their care cost. Nearly half of people receiving care services currently in Brent pay no charge at all. 

The proposed changes to the charging policy are essential to ensure the council can continue to provide the Adult Social Care services thousands of residents rely on in a sustainable way for years to come. 

These include: 

• Changes to the minimum income guarantee – There is a minimum level of income which a person must be left with after charges are taken. This changes according to a person’s circumstances. Currently, Brent tops this up by 25%. It is proposed to reduce this to 10%. This change only affects the half of service users that contribute towards the cost of their homecare and these people will still receive 10% more than the minimum level of income they need to live, which would be one of the most generous schemes in London. The consultation will ask whether this should be implemented in full in April 2024, or phased over time. 
• Increasing the amount charged to service users if they do not participate or cooperate with their financial assessment – The vast majority of service users take part in the financial assessment process, but if after four weeks they do not, it is proposed they are charged the full cost of their care. The average care cost will also be raised for financial assessments that take longer than expected to complete. The consultation will ask whether residents agree with this proposal. 
• Increasing the hourly rate charged for homecare from £12.97, which will increase annually – This will impact self-funders (people who pay the total cost of their care) and some people on low incomes who have a small care package, however everyone will be re-assessed to ensure they can afford to pay. The consultation will ask what steps the council should take to support those affected.  
• Charges during admissions to hospital – Proposals include not reimbursing service users for the cost of their adult social care while they are in hospital, for up to seven days if they receive homecare, or 28 days if they are in a residential or nursing home.  

The consultation will open on Thursday 2 November and close on Sunday 17 December. Any changes to the Adult Social Care charging policy will be approved by Brent's Cabinet in January 2024, and implemented from April 2024 onwards.