Agenda item

To consider a report of the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health.

Cabinet agreed that: -

(i)             the Dorset Minimum Income Guarantees (MIG) for financial year 2022/23 should be set at the DH&SC MIG rates, which have been uplifted by 3%.

(ii)            the approach to the review in Dorset, (which began in October 2021) involved first establishing that the MIG rates for 2021-22 were sufficiently robust.

(iii)          Dorset Council should not set a maximum percentage of a person’s disposable income (over and above the guaranteed MIG) which may be considered in charging during 2022-23.

(iv)          Dorset Council should not set a maximum charge for receiving care outside a care home during 2022-23.

(v)           both formal complaints and informal appeals concerning the MIG should be recorded and reported in a way that gives us ongoing feedback about whether the MIG rates we have set have are sufficient.

(vi)          The Dorset MIG rates should be increased whenever the DH&SC rates increase, with any unplanned mid-year increases being funded by efficiencies within the Adult Social Care directorate. Accepting that there is a financial risk to the Council

(vii)         the approach to setting the Dorset Council Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA), (which applies to residents and temporary residents in residential care) should follow the approach to setting the MIG in future, to offer consistency between care settings.

(viii)       Adult Social Care should recommend considering further increases to the MIG and PEA levels as part of setting the Council’s 2023-24 budget, and annually thereafter as part of setting future budgets.

(ix)          Dorset Council may wish to consider the impact of the MIG and PEA in any wider suite of measures it identifies for alleviating increases in the cost of living that all residents have experienced, and particularly those who are receiving care and support.

Reason for the decision

The reason for the recommendations is to achieve transparency and more explicitly meet the expectations of the Department of Health and Social Care’s Care and support statutory guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)  - particularly paragraphs 8.42–8.48 and Annex C paragraphs 48) - 50).

In the absence of the Portfolio Holder, the Cabinet Lead Member for Health presented the report outlining the adoption of current national regime of charges to residents called the Minimum Income Guarantee or “MIG”. She advised that the MIG was the weekly amount of income, that residents who were in receipt of adult care and support at home received to retain a certain level of income to cover living costs.

Cabinet was asked to consider the mechanism for all future decision making on setting the MIG rates, including the ability of overview and scrutiny committees to be able to comment on the position. This would allow the Council to continually review the MIG rates in its area.

In response to a question relating to the recent and continuing rise in the rate of inflation and those individuals who were most vulnerable, the Corporate Director for Adult Social Care advised that the national recommendation (at 3%) was made at a point when the inflation rate was running at a lower rate. However, one of the recommendations in the report indicates that Cabinet and Council may wish to take a broader degree of scrutiny about the wider range of measures on the cost of care.

In respect of the councils most vulnerable residents, the adult social care team had a level of oversight and the ability to intervene both at an informal and exceptions point of view. This was part of the strengths-based practice of the service. It was also confirmed that any complaints would be monitored and reported accordingly through the Dorset Council complaints process.

Cabinet members unanimously supported the recommendations.

Decision

Cabinet agreed that: -

(i)             The Dorset Minimum Income Guarantees (MIG) for financial year 2022/23 should be set at the DH&SC MIG rates, which have been uplifted by 3%.

(ii)            The approach to the review in Dorset, (which began in October 2021) involved first establishing that the MIG rates for 2021-22 were sufficiently robust.

(iii)          Dorset Council should not set a maximum percentage of a person’s disposable income (over and above the guaranteed MIG) which may be considered in charging during 2022-23.

(iv)          Dorset Council should not set a maximum charge for receiving care outside a care home during 2022-23.

(v)           Both formal complaints and informal appeals concerning the MIG should be recorded and reported in a way that gives us ongoing feedback about whether the MIG rates we have set have are sufficient.

(vi)          The Dorset MIG rates should be increased whenever the DH&SC rates increase, with any unplanned mid-year increases being funded by efficiencies within the Adult Social Care directorate. Accepting that there is a financial risk to the Council

(vii)         The approach to setting the Dorset Council Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA), (which applies to residents and temporary residents in residential care) should follow the approach to setting the MIG in future, to offer consistency between care settings.

(viii)       Adult Social Care should recommend considering further increases to the MIG and PEA levels as part of setting the Council’s 2023-24 budget, and annually thereafter as part of setting future budgets.

(ix)          Dorset Council may wish to consider the impact of the MIG and PEA in any wider suite of measures it identifies for alleviating increases in the cost of living that all residents have experienced, and particularly those who are receiving care and support.

Reason for the decision

The reason for the recommendations is to achieve transparency and more explicitly meet the expectations of the Department of Health and Social Care’s Care and support statutory guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)  - particularly paragraphs 8.42–8.48 and Annex C paragraphs 48) - 50).