More than one in five councils in England is illegally charging service users for reablement packages of care, research by Community Care has found. (Picture credit: Rex Features)
Our investigation has prompted the government to promise guidance instructing councils not to charge, while one local authority, West Sussex, has suspended its charges and is seeking legal advice from the Department of Health. A Freedom of Information request, answered by 96 of England's 152 councils, found 22% levied a charge for reablement.
Many of the descriptions of reablement services provided by the councils surveyed met the definition of intermediate care, which must be provided free for the first six weeks under the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc) Act (Qualifying Services) (England) Regulations 2003. Cate Searle, community care lawyer at Martin Searle Solicitors, said: "Simply calling intermediate care by another name does not allow a local authority to charge for it." Sector leaders were highly critical of the charges.
Louise Lakey, policy manager at Alzheimer's Society, said: "Services such as intermediate care are vital for people with dementia especially considering the current economic climate. It enables people to stay out of hospital and residential care – which are very costly – and receive care in the community instead. It should not be charged for."
Continue reading our exclusive on reablement charges, including more on the government's response