Putting People First - Shaping your future, choosing your care

Commission of Inquiry into the future services for adults in need of support and care

Final report & recommendations

‘Getting Personal: a fair deal for better care and support’, the report launched by Hampshire’s Commission of Inquiry, urges immediate action to tackle the perceived unfairness and complexity of the care and support system for older and disabled people.

The Commission’s landmark report makes national recommendations and proposes local innovative solutions for the  people of Hampshire.

The report calls for:

• A universal offer of help with information and advice regardless of where people live, how much money they have and whether they are assessed as being eligible for social care.
• Free social care for up to eight weeks for all those at risk of admission to hospital or those people being discharged from hospital, and in need of urgent social care.
• An increase in the threshold for means testing from the current level of £22,250 to £50,000 for people with savings and capital.
• The replacement of the current charging regime with a personal contribution model that supplements the individual budget that a person will receive.
• Recognition that caring for relatives, friends and families often continues into old age and there needs to be a radical review of benefits to ensure that carers over the age of 65 have the work they do recognised.
• Recognition and detailed recommendations that the workforce of the future will need new skills and abilities. This should include a national training strategy and national recruitment campaigns to promote a career structure in care work.
• Performance targets to be introduced to give Primary Care Trusts incentives to invest in preventative services.

The Commission believes its proposals are practical and affordable and would both deliver a more personalised care system and ease the acute pressure that the system is under.

Findings from Hampshire County Council‘s Commission of Inquiry will inform and influence the Green Paper and forthcoming legislation on the future direction and funding of adult social care.

The national recommendations also form the basis of a model for the future of adult social care in Hampshire that has been developed jointly with health partners. The Hampshire Model was presented to Hampshire County Council’s cabinet for approval in December 2008 and could become a national benchmark.