News

The long-awaited guidance on setting eligibility criteria for adult social care has been published alongside a new implementation timetable – but no new funds, writes Lauren Revans.

Councils with social services responsibilities have until 7 April 2003 to review and consult on their existing eligibility criteria for adult social care to bring it in line with the new guidance – a year later than the draft guidance suggested when it was published in July 2001.

From April 2003, the revised criteria should be applied to all new referrals and requests for help. Cases already open must be reviewed according to the criteria by April 2004.

The guidance does not differ hugely from the draft, although the thresholds for determining seriousness of risk to independence – critical, substantial, moderate, and low – appear to have been set marginally higher in the final version.

More positively, greater emphasis has been placed in the final guidance on rooting out age discrimination, on the use of direct payments to meet eligible needs, and on arrangements for transitions between councils and between children and adult services.

Although there are several references to councils taking their resources into account when drawing up their criteria, the final guidance stresses that upper-cost parameters for care packages must only be used "as a guide", and that services should be tailored to each individual’s circumstances.

Councils which only provide certain services to particular groups of service users, or who have blanket policies about not providing other services including those geared towards prevention are also directed to "review their policies".

'Fair Access to Care Services' from www.doh.gov.uk/scg/facs