‘Moderate’ clients to lose support as council plans eligibility hike

Almost 200 people face a loss of support as a result of plans from one council to raise its care eligibility threshold from ‘moderate’ to ‘substantial‘.

York Council says the proposal would save £160,000 in its first full year of implementation, net of an investment of £150,000 a year in preventive services designed to support people who would lose out from the eligibility hike.

The plans, which will be discussed at a council meeting next week, follow a consultation, in which 62% of respondents backed the planned raise in threshold on the basis that it would protect services for people with higher-level needs.

The council has calculated that 184 people may face a loss of support, 36 of whom are currently receiving professional social work, 33 of whom are receiving personal care and 39 of whom are receiving day support.

“Whilst we would prefer not to have to change the eligibility criteria if the financial and demographic pressures did not require it, we want to use this as an opportunity to help our residents shape greater investment in preventive, user-led and community-based support,” said York’s director of adults, children and education, Peter Dwyer.

By raising its threshold, York Council would join the 83% of local authorities with a ‘substantial’ threshold. Plans in this month’s social care White Paper to set a national eligibility threshold for care have implied that this would be, broadly, at ‘substantial’.

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