The eligibility criteria, which governs all older and disabled people's right to receive care services, is to be fundamentally reviewed.
This was the immediate response to the release of the third report on the State of Social Care in England by the social care watchdog - the Commission for Social Care Inspection. It concludes that there are people not receiving support from councils who are struggling with a poor quality of life.
Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis, asked the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) to undertake the review and report back to him with recommendations in the Autumn.The review will focus on national definitions of need and their application at a local level by councils.
Ivan Lewis said:
"This year the Government will consult extensively on a new long term funding system for social care, begin a radical programme of change through personal care budgets and announce a new deal for carers.
"However, today's State of Social Care report highlights major inconsistencies in the way that eligibility criteria is being applied within and between local authorities, as well as a growing failure to support self-funders to make difficult choices about care for themselves or a family member.
"I want to see an end to the 'no help here' culture, which is now creeping into parts of the care system.
"There will always be a need for a national social care framework, but the existing system is leaving too many families on their own and runs the risk of damaging our commitment to support older and disabled people to live independently."
Dame Denise Platt, Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, said:
"Our State of Social Care report paints a stark picture of a sharp divide between people who do and do not qualify for social care from their local council. We are undertaking this review at the request of the Government as a contribution to the longer-term review of the funding of the care system.
Our report will be published later this year and we will involve all interested parties, particularly the people who use care services. Our aim is to make the care they rely on more responsive to their needs."
The Government announced an extra £11.5 million will be made available for home adaptations, to help older and disabled people live independently in their homes. The funding will help councils ramp up their Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) programme until the end of March. Applicants can receive grant up to £25,000 for the provision of adaptations.
The programme already helps around 35,000 disabled and older people live safely and independently in their home each year by making adaptations such as wheelchair ramps, stair lifts and downstairs bathrooms.
The successful programme has seen its funding more than double from £57 million in 1997 to £126 million this year. This now increases to £138 million following this latest allocation.
Further announcements will be made in due course on the future funding of Disabled Facilities Grant and a package of changes to improve delivery of the programme as part of the cross departmental review of the Disabled Facilities Grant.
A new campaign was launched by Communities and Local Government that delivers the stark message to 'Pull Your Finger Out' and check your smoke alarm. Although 80% of homes in England have a smoke alarm, new survey results show that an alarming four in five of those polled don't follow advice to test their alarm every week.
Checking a smoke alarm only takes minutes but the reasons given for failing to take this simple precaution are disturbing, with general apathy stopping many people from being fire safe.
Reasons given for not testing smoke alarms enough include - 'not remembering', 'don't think about it'. 'too busy' and 'can't be bothered'. The reality is that if you don't have a working smoke alarm you are more than twice as likely to die in a fire.
The 'Pull Your Finger Out' national advertising campaign highlights the devastating and potentially fatal consequences of not testing your alarm often enough. The advert shows the horrific aftermath of a fire in the home with a burnt out kitchen providing the backdrop to the scene.
The campaign recommends several simple measures:
A new independent report found that the Supporting People programme is more than paying for itself through the positive impact it is having on the lives of the most vulnerable people in society.
Funding through the programme helps over a million people live independently in their homes at any one time - including 800,000 older people, 40,000 single homeless people, 36,000 people with mental health problems and 8,000 women at risk of domestic violence.
The study finds that an investment of £1.55 billion in the programme delivers £2.77 billion net financial benefits - through reduced costs in health services, tenancy failure, crime and residential care.
Communities minister Baroness Andrews said:
"Today's report confirms that the Supporting People programme is making an important and valuable contribution to the lives of the most vulnerable people in our society.
"To date £8.7 billion has been invested with a further £4.9 billion over the next three years. The new funding is now based more closely on the real needs of local communities, gives councils greater flexibility on how to spend it, and ensures that they provide services more efficiently.
"That means we will continue to help over a million vulnerable people each year to live independently and break the cycle of deprivation and exclusion."
The changes to the funding system follow from an independent review in 2004 which found that the previous spend was not meeting some of the real challenges faced or delivering the best value for money.
