24 October 2008
By Tash Shifrin
The social care watchdog has called for a clearer and simpler framework for deciding who should be at the front of the queue for publicly funded services, and a national formula to underpin individual budgets.
The Commission for Social Care Inspection made the recommendations in its review of adult social care eligibility criteria. Ordered by ministers in January, the review will feed into a government green paper on the funding of social care, expected early next year.
Launching the report, Cutting the cake fairly, at the National Children and Adult Services Conference in Liverpool on October 22, CSCI chair Dame Denise Platt said the current system for determining eligibility for social care was 'not aligned with present policy'.
She added: 'While most people accept that not everything can be provided by the state, they want a fairer and clearer system and one which both promotes their wellbeing and, if they need care and support, enables them to make informed decisions about the options available.'
Local Government Association chair Margaret Eaton told conference delegates that the care system was 'unfair, unclear and under funded'.
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