Sutton Council’s consultation into changes to adult social care required to by the Care Act 2014 will close on Sunday 21 February.

Changes to the Care Act enacted by central government have introduced options to the way in which people are financially assessed and supported. The changes are most likely to affect those living in nursing or residential homes, those paying for their own care, carers, and those who receive assistance from social services and are still living at home.

The 12-week consultation has less than a week to run, and so far the views of 450 people have been gathered via the online consultation and at a series of public meetings.

The Care Act consultation is part of the ongoing Sutton’s Future initiative. Sutton’s Future aims to involve residents of the borough in making the difficult decisions necessary in the face of severe funding cuts.

The new Care Act 2014 has altered the way Sutton Council can charge some people. Some decisions about what and how services are charged for are now up to the discretion of the Council. Other rules have been introduced, for example, Sutton Council can no longer ignore war pensions or war disablements pensions when calculating how much a person can afford to pay toward the cost of their own support.

Topics included in the consultation include whether Sutton Council ought to be more generous than the law requires when determining whether a person meets eligibility criteria, and whether there ought to be a maximum amount people should be asked to pay for services received at home.

Cllr Colin Stears, Chair of the Adult Social Services and Health Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“We’ve had an incredible response to our Care Act consultation so far. It’s really important that everyone has the chance to have their say on these important issues which could affect many of our residents.

“There’s still time to make your voice heard and complete the consultation. These are difficult decisions to make as if we do not make the changes needed, costs may have to be met in other ways which could affect other vital services provided by the Council.”

You can find more information about the issues facing the council, what changes to Care Act may result in, and details of how to get involved with the Sutton’s Future debate by visiting our webpage here.