Requesting a Financial Assessment

1. Using this Procedure

This procedure should be used to understand when a financial assessment must be completed, how to subsequently make such a request and record the outcome.

Note: This procedure is used by all of the following teams and services:

  1. Hospital Pathway Team;
  2. START;
  3. First Response Teams;
  4. Review Teams;
  5. All Age Learning Disability.

2. When a Financial Assessment must be Completed

Under the Care Act a financial assessment must be completed when all of the following criteria apply:

  1. The person/carer has needs that are eligible under the Care Act;
  2. The person/carer wishes for the Local Authority to meet some or all of their eligible needs;
  3. The person/carer is ordinarily resident in the Local Authority area (or present in the area with no settled residence);
  4. The person/carer will be receiving a Local Authority service that is chargeable under the Care Act; and
  5. The Local Authority intends to charge for that service.
Need to know

It is not lawful under the Care Act to charge for any of the following services:

  1. Intermediate care and reablement services for up to 6 weeks;
  2. Aids and minor adaptations (up to the value of £1000);
  3. After-care services/support provided under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

3. Requesting a Financial Assessment

All financial assessments or reassessments should be requested in line with local processes and requirements.

4. Recording the Outcome of the Financial Assessment

Any contribution that the person/carer is assessed to make must be clearly recorded:

  1. On the Care and Support Plan (or Support Plan);
  2. On internal financial contribution recording systems.

The start date for any financial contributions should correspond with the start date for the associated Care and Support services unless a decision has been made otherwise through the financial assessment process.