Funding Options

Local Social Services Directorate (Lancashire County Council):

To see if you eligible to receive care from Lancashire County Council you will need to contact them to arrange an assessment. Lancashire County Council follow guidance from The Department of Health called ‘Fair Access to Care Services’ to assess eligibility for care services. This guidance includes eligibility criteria which provide them with a tool by which they can evaluate a person’s needs and the risks to their independence.

These criteria make sure that the limited budget and staff local authorities have is spent on the people who need support most.

The four bands are as follows:

• Critical – there is an immediate risk of your coming to harm or losing your independence.
• Substantial – there is a significant risk of your health and wellbeing being affected.
• Moderate – there is some risk to your health or wellbeing, in the future, or that you might lose your independence.
• Low – one or two aspects of your daily life are hard for you to manage.

You must also have a need for help because of one or more of the following:

• Physical disability or difficulty
• Sensory impairment, such as difficulties with seeing or hearing
• Learning or cognitive disability or difficulty
• Mental health needs
• Problems with drug or alcohol misuse
• You are suffering from abuse and/or neglect
• You are over 65 with one of the above difficulties
• You are a carer which means you provide personal assistance without payment to someone in one of the above categories.

You will only be eligible if the assessment outcome puts your needs at Critical or Substantial.

If you are eligible, then LCC will complete a financial assessment to see how much of a contribution you will need to make towards the cost your domiciliary care. Visit www.lancashire.gov.uk for further information.

If you are eligible to receive domiciliary care it may come in any of the following forms, these are all explained below for you:

• Social Services Directorate
• Social Services Vouchers
• Direct Payments
• Individual Budgets
• Broker Scheme

Social Services Voucher Scheme:

Short break vouchers issued by Lancashire County Council can used to pay for care services from Complete Care Services. One voucher can used for one hours care.

Individual Budgets:

You can use your Individual Budgets to purchase care from Complete Care Services. Please see the Individual Budget page for further details.

Broker Scheme:

Complete Care Services provide a broker service to manage any funds given to you by Lancashire County Council to purchase domiciliary care. Please visit the Brokerage page for further details.

Complete Care Services are a Preferred Provider of Lancashire County Council, and accept care packages funded by them. We also accept packages that are part funded by the directorate and the customer.

Eligibility

To be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, the person you look after must be assessed as having a “primary health need” and have a complex medical condition and substantial and ongoing care needs.

Not everyone with a disability or long-term condition will be eligible. The assessment process is outlined below.

Guidance says that the assessment for NHS continuing healthcare should be “person centred”. This means that the person being assessed should be fully involved in the assessment process. They should be kept informed, and have their views about their own needs and support taken into account. Carers will also be consulted where appropriate. A decision about eligibility should usually be made within 28 days of an assessment being carried out.

Complete Care Services accepts care packages funded the local PCT. We follow the procedures outlined on the What Happens Next page. Complete Care Services will invoice the PCT directly.