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).