LGA proposes single pot for benefits, social care and health funds

Social care, benefits and NHS funding for older and disabled people should be delivered through single all-encompassing budgets, the Local Government Association said today.

In a report, ‘Our care, our lives’, designed to influence the government’s forthcoming adult care green paper, the LGA proposes a single source of support for older and disabled people. It said this would minimise the bureaucracy involved in accessing a ‘myriad of often poorly coordinated’ funds and services. The LGA also recommended a single means-test that would automatically trigger receipt of related benefits.

It said this model would also enable budgets to be tailored to local needs and offer greater personalisation of services, as well as remove the stigma of social care by encompassing a broader range of support, including preventive services.

David Rogers, chair of the LGA community wellbeing board, said: “It is utterly ridiculous that so many administrative obstacles are put in the way of people who need help and support. Those least able to cope are expected to wade through a mountain of red tape.”

• What do you think of the LGA’s plans? Have your say on CareSpace.

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