Reason for a Social Care Needs Assessment

They may also be able to point you to technology solutions (reminders to take tablets, tracking device that can be slipped into a shoe etc) and to support for carers.

@BetterCare

There is nothing in OPs post that indicates what her dads care or nursing needs are - CHC eligibility is set extremely high

I really don't understand PPs randomly suggest everyone approaches these private organisations to pursue unnecessary CHC applications. MDTs in the community are busy enough.

OP was asking about a social care assessment not a CHC assessment.

I've RTFT

Parents may be entitled to for an assessment of needs for care and support and a carers assessment under the Care Act 2014, if they appear that they may meet 3 part criteria for eligibility 1.need, 2.outcome and 3. wellbeing criteria lists. So the LA call taker will screen if likely to be eligible and signpost if not.

From carers assessment, a limited amount of Carers services might not be chargeable, so if dad can't be left alone at all even for an hour due to high risks from his dementia (such as burning things, wandering out getting lost looking for mum) , then a carers assessment might lead to some type of carers service/ take a break service of a few hours a week.

If dad has needs for care and support- his care will be chargeable, which is why you don't actually need the social care assessment if you can arrange and he can pay for care as a self funder (over £23,250 threshold). So the LA will signpost you to websites of lists of care agencies and other services. Have a look on those.

Post covid- social care and NHS services are overwhelmed & have increasingly long waiting lists, so someone who could arrange something privately is not in same life or limb crisis as others with far higher needs, who are without supportive family nor resources.

Yes you can have a social care assessment report to tell you what care to arrange but as a sensible family you could do that yourselves and quickly without waiting unnecessarily.

You'll have MNers talking about your entitlement to a Care Act 2014 assessment on here (as I have done) but IRL social care and NHS are trying to juggle keeping the most high needs people alive and safe and are working flat out and long hours. So whether you're entitled to assessment one or not that you, they are screening those who are most urgent and asking or you really urgently need one right now rather than just 'would like' one or may need one in the future.

When you are self funder you pay full cost of your care and also extra brokerage fees, and still get told what care you'll have , by whom and when- so as a family you'd be more in control if you privately arrange the care support for what may be similar cost

Savings of more than £24,000, do would be self funding. Council and therefore currently saying they won't do an assessment

are you absolutely certain they said they wouldn't do a Care Act assessment due to your parents being over the financial threshold?

Because that would be very unlawful of them.

plus your parents get the threshold each so if they both have social care needs and their finances are joint then actually they would need to have over £48000 between them to be over the funding threshold. That's just in savings and doesn't include the value of their property if they are still living in it.

ring and ask again, anyone is entitled to a Care Act Assessment regardless of income or savings. If you really have been told otherwise then that needs flagging with the local authority because they need to retrain whoever is answering the phones.

a lot of authorities will strongly advise that if you have the financial means to do so to just crack on and arrange it yourself though rather than waiting for a care act assessment though...

Pressed enter too soon. There will be a target response time so if you don't get a reply you can complain about the lack of a reply. After that you can use the council's complaints procedure but I doubt it will come to that.

The benefits of having one is that they do it every day so they are better at identifying needs than you are. They may identify things that you just don't see because of the work arounds that are already in place. Banister rails, fall alarms, bathing aids, grab rails, toilet risers - there are lots of things that can make life easier but not if you don't know they exist.

Put it in writing that you are asking for an assessment under whatever bit of legislation it is and wait for the response.

Absolutely they are entitled to an assessment, irrespective of funding. It won't (probably) result in anything useful but I found it a lot easier to be firm with my parents about getting carers when someone else had said it was needed. But more importantly, it gets them in the system so that if the wheels fall off then SS have already done all their assessments. So for instance when my dad was admitted to hospital, as my mum had already been assessed as unsafe to be left, SS found her a care home place for respite within hours - even though SS had nothing to do with the carers that mum had privately

If you get nowhere with social services try their g.p. practice, ours have an elderly early intervention unit to help people in these circumstances.

Also does your parent get attendance allowance? That's none means tested so you should absolutely apply for that.

Your parents are absolutely entitled to a care act assessment and a carers assessment so do push for one.
Does the memory service that diagnosed the dementia have any support / sign posting services? Do you have access to an Admiral Nurse service (google this)?

Yes it's worth the fight, OP. Good luck

www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice

Everyone is entitled to a care needs assessment and a carers assessment, this information may help you.

www.dementiauk.org/get-support/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_qrvrvPS-gIVm-3tCh0p4QIVEAAYASACEgKUyPD_BwE

This is so frustrating. Firstly make sure you have Power of Attorney for both of them for both Finance and Health because unfortunately, you are going to have to 'shout'. We have come to learn that it is 'he who shouts loudest gets the results.

Because of your Father's healthcare needs, he may be entitled to Continuing Health Care funding, but it is unbelievably difficult to get but doesn't mean to say he isn't entitled. Contact Beacon, because they give great advice about this.

www.beaconchc.co.uk/

Use all resources that are available to you, speak to his GP and/or the Community Matron, Memory clinic, and continue to ring Adult Social Care. All of these agencies do have Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings so if could be raised there.

Speak to AgeUK and Dementia UK and also their MP.

Make sure he is getting all the benefits he is entitled to such as Attendance Allowance, which isn't Means Tested.

For my Mum, we ended up paying for an Elder Care Consultant who was brilliant because whilst we had to spend some of Mum's money the consultant paid for herself many times over.

It is appalling the way in which Dementia patients are treated and you have to fight constantly for something that should just be a given. He is entitled to care so, I know it feels like you want to hit your end against a brick wall a lot of the time, but don't give up.

Good luck.

For my mum they did the needs assessment before considering the finances.

everyone is legally entitled to a Care Act assessment whatever their financial position. The council are well aware of this but try to wriggle out of assessing self funders.
Stand your ground and tell then you are aware of this.

Ah, sorry, just seen you said more than £24,000, so that won’t work.

The cut off for self-funding is £23,500, so I’d spend £500 on something useful for the house and then go back to the council and ask again.

That's very odd. They did a needs assessment for my parent despite being self funding and put me in touch with recommended car agencies. Other medical conditions rather than dementia though. We also got an OT assessment off the back of it.