“The Care Act imposes very clear legal duties on Social Services, but clients often require legal representation to ensure that their rights to basic social care provision are upheld”- Cate Searle, Director and Head of Community Care Law.
BRIGHTON, England (PRWEB) February 06, 2023
Throughout February 2023, the Community Care Law team at Martin Searle Solicitors are running their campaign Social Care Funding Matters, to raise awareness about the current problems with social care funding.
Martin Searle Solicitors are a campaigning law firm and are committed to access to justice. Their Social Care Funding Matters campaign will provide clear and straightforward advice for individuals and professionals who have questions and concerns about social care funding, whether it is for care at home, care in a care home, or planning ahead.
In 2020/21, there were 841,000 people in England receiving long term support from social services, and 50% of these were working aged adults. It is thought that there are several million people who are self-funding their care, either because they have assets above £23,250, or because they have been given incorrect information by Health or Social Services. In October 2022, the Local Government Social Care Ombudsman reported that it had upheld 71% of complaints about social care charges, describing “a growing disconnect between the care to which people are entitled, and the ability of councils to meet those needs”.
The costs of paying for care often makes front-page news as this can involve people having to sell their home to pay their care fees. There has also been a lot of publicity about hospital bed blocking and the social care crisis, and the proposed introduction of the £86,000 social care cap has now been delayed until at least October 2025.
The Community Care Law team have found that much of the information published by the media is incomplete, misleading, or does not represent the true nature of the care funding system. This means that a large number of people do not access the support that they are legally entitled to.
Martin Searle Solicitors’ Community Care Team will provide practical advice and assistance to individuals keen to find out more about what how to access social care funding and the services they are entitled to under the Care Act. Our advice is also available to professionals such as accountants, financial advisors, lawyers and professional deputies who also have to offer advice about paying for care.
Cate Searle, Director and Head of Community Care Law, says “The social care system was already hugely under-resourced before the latest round of austerity measures. Many people who should qualify for social care support find that they are turned away, or kept on a waiting list for months, or experience cuts to their existing packages. Other people find themselves completely dependent upon care from family and friends, which can create carer fatigue. The Care Act imposes very clear legal duties on Social Services, but clients often require legal representation to ensure that their rights to basic social care provision are upheld”.
Martin Searle Solicitors have produced a series of free factsheets, case studies and FAQs on their website, covering the law around care and care home funding, including how to avoid selling your home to pay for care, and the rules that affect what care funding you receive.
On Tuesday 21 February 2023, from 2pm – 3pm, Martin Searle Solicitors will be running a free virtual seminar on ‘Paying For Care – Topics and Tensions’. The webinar is aimed at Professional Deputies, private client lawyers, and other advisers who work in the social care sector. To book, click here.
Martin Searle Solicitors Community Care Law team are also offering a free initial 30 minute confidential advice call regarding planning and paying for care. Their legal helpline will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout February 2023 from 3.30pm to 5.30pm on 01273 609911. To book a call-back from one of their team, click here.
For more information about the campaign, please visit https://www.ms-solicitors.co.uk/social-care-funding-matters/
