Bridge McFarland - Union Clients

Care Advocacy Service

Care Advocacy means ‘speaking on someone’s behalf’ It is more often than not an elderly or frail person. It is speaking for the persons rights and how the procedures work when a person is going into care and how in particular to assert  those rights.

Access to social care is managed through a process of assessment and the Local Authorities have a statutory duty to assess the needs and circumstances of anyone seeking help.

When someone needs to go into care the Primary Care Trust or Local Authority (depending on whether it is for Nursing Care or Residential) make an assessment. The Government have laid down strict guidelines when assessments are made and the assessment can and should be challenged if it is felt that the person needing care has been wrongly assessed. The assessment process should consist of 3 parts

1. Assessment of needs and circumstances

2. Identification of needs which should be met by the local authority under its eligibility criteria

3. Financial Assessment as appropriate.

Each Local Authority sets its own criteria and it is essential that you should obtain a copy of the criteria from the Local Authority if you know of someone who is going or likely to go into care.

If your parent has to go into care and  funding is refused, you can appeal to the Primary Care Trust that the assessment was flawed and request a second assessment. You can appeal to the NHS if there is a nursing element to funding and you can also take the appeal to the Ombudsman. 

Pauline Flower will be pleased to discuss your individual requirements on an initial confidential and no obligation consultation basis.