Social Care News

Minister announces increase in maximum weekly fees to be paid for non-residential care

The deputy minister for social services, Gwenda Thomas, has announced (March 17) a planned increase in the maximum fees people will be asked to pay for non-residential social care from April 2014.

The maximum of £50 per week will rise to £55 from this month and go up to £60 per week from April 2015.

The minister also reiterated her commitment to reforming arrangements for paying for care in Wales.

While she said she still wants to be well informed of how the UK government plans to reform this in England before making final decisions - she said that it was appropriate that the interim arrangements in Wales are reviewed.

Ms Thomas said: "I have decided on balance to implement a revision of the maximum charge as I outline above. This is to maintain the real terms affect of this. While I acknowledge the very real financial pressures that both local authorities and service users are experiencing I do not feel it is appropriate to make no change to the maximum, or to reduce it so as to further reduce local authorities’ income from charging.

"That said, I feel it is equally inappropriate in the current climate to expect the older and disabled service users of Wales to be able to be charged an increased maximum charge 20% and subsequently 40% higher than its present level. I will therefore be laying amending regulations before the National Assembly to effect the change in the level of the maximum from April 2014 to increase this to £55 per week.  I will do a similar thing next year for the increase from April 2015 to £60 per week.

"The future level of the maximum charge beyond 2015 will then, of course, be considered as part of the wider paying for care reform.

Read the full statement on the Welsh Government website: Paying for social care - update