Adult Social Care
Practice Guide
What is the Personal Finance Service (PFS) What is the Personal Finance Service (PFS)? The London Borough of Camden (LBC) has a duty of care to provide personal finance support for an individual as a last resort in situations where there is no other suitable person. Any financial management will…
Regular reviews of finances Completing a review of finances Financial reviews must be completed a minimum of every 12 months for individuals where LBC is a Corporate Appointee. These need to be completed by practitioners in Adult Social Care (including C&I Mental Health Trust). If you are the rev…
Working with the PFS team Communication between social care practitioners and PFS workers is essential when it comes to a person's finances. The Office of the Public Guardian - Standards for Local Authority Deputies are the standards that a local authority must adhere to as a Local Authority Depu…
How to refer to PFS In order to refer to the Personal Finance Service, you will need to: Complete the relevant documentation within the PFS application bundle. This includes: Internal Application Form - word or pdf . Mental Capacity Assessment - word or pdf Best Interest Form COP3 Form Obtain wha…
Contact the PFS team Referrals using the application bundle should be made to the PFS Service Manager [email protected] If you have any questions about the referral process or want to raise concerns about a person's finances you can email [email protected] Once a person is receiving suppor…
Appointees, Deputy, and LPA Within Adult Social Care, we may be working with people who need support with their personal finances. People should be enabled and assisted to manage their own financial affairs as far as is possible. However, in cases where the person lacks capacity to manage their m…
Money Matters Changes in the economy have had an impact on people's finances. There is support for residents in severe financial hardship and who can't afford necessities to live. Support could be through internal schemes or referrals to external support including grants.
Help with energy costs Help with energy costs There are a number of schemes/grants that provide support with energy costs: Warm Home Discount Scheme What it is - The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will…
How to access emergency funds How to access emergency funds In order to set up an emergency loan or payment, the following forms will need to be completed and sent to the Team Clerks: Emergency Fund Form (Completed by practitioner/ Social worker and signed by Team Manager) Pre-paid card agreement…
Cost of Living Awards Cost of Living Awards Cost-of-living crisis awards are where an individual or family are facing severe financial hardship and cannot afford food, warmth, water, electricity and household essentials. As such, there is a risk they will suffer harm without help as they have no…
Household Support Fund (HSF) Awards Household Support Fund (HSF) Awards In addition to two Cost of Living awards, residents who meet the criteria can apply to the Government-funded Household Support Fund (HSF). The deadline to apply for a HSF payment is 31 March 2026, and it has the same eligibil…
Debt advice Debt advice Age UK Camden The Age UK Camden Information & Advice service offer advice on: Welfare and benefits. Debt and money. Housing. Accessing services. Charitable grants. Supporting people with arranging Lasting Power of Attorney and later life planning. This service is available…
Health Exemption Services Communications Toolkits Health Exemption Services Communications Toolkits Help people access support with the cost of NHS prescriptions and dental treatment by sharing and displaying promotional resources. The NHS Business Services Authority has developed communications…
Charitable and Hardship Support Charitable and Hardship Support in Camden This guidance sets out the main charities and grants that Camden residents can apply to for financial or practical support. It is intended as a quick reference for Social Care practitioners when advising clients. Practice…
Money Matters Connecting people to support Breathing space is a Debt Respite Scheme, that aims to help individuals by offering financial help from a debt advisor. The scheme give people in a mental health crisis support with the right to legal protections from their creditors. Further information…
What is Breathing Space? Breathing space is a scheme aimed to help people dealing with debt, within the scheme there are two types of help they offer people. MHCBS (Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space) is for patients that suffer with any type of mental health. The second is the standard scheme…
Eligibility Criteria for Mental Health Crisis scheme To be accepted by the Mental Health Crisis Breathing Scheme you must be: A UK resident receiving mental health crisis treatment (including if that treatment has already started). Receiving any other crisis, emergency care or treatment in hospit…
How Breathing Space works There are two different processes for both MHCBS scheme and the standard Breathing space scheme. The standard process can be read in full detail in the structure chart. The second advanced process chart outlines how the MHCBS works. These two processes have to apply to y…
How to make a referral It is expected that all people being referred will be under the care of a local mental service, an inpatient in hospital or in one of the Crisis Homes. To make a referral someone from the team of care looking after them should do it on their behalf. The patient will need to…
Nominated Point of Contact The nominated point of contact is the Mental Health Professional that the Breathing space debt advisor can contact throughout the persons breathing space. They will contact the nominee every 20 days to confirm the patient is still in crisis. The care coordinator should…
Paying for Care Money Matters Information about paying for care options, including financial assessment, using direct payments, costs of residential care and non-residential care, deferred payment scheme, and self-funders.
Money Matters Financial assessment and contributing towards cost of care The Care Act states that the local authority may make a charge for meeting a person's care and support needs. Following a needs assessment if a person has eligible care and support needs they may need to have a financial asse…
Financial assessment A financial assessment is used to determine whether a person can afford to pay a contribution towards their personal budget or services they receive that are funded by Camden. A person will need to provide details of their income, outgoings and savings. An allowance for their…
Non-residential care Non-residential care Non-residential care is care and support to improve a person's wellbeing that enables them to live independently. Non-residential care includes: homecare, for example, support with personal care and with tasks around the home support that attending a day…
Residential/Nursing Care ASC can arrange a person's stay in residential or nursing care, however, they may be required to pay a contribution towards their care. A financial assessment will need to be completed, and if the person has savings over £23,250 they will be required to pay the full cost…
Deferred payment scheme The Deferred Payment Scheme is designed to help a person who is assessed as having to pay the full cost of residential care but they cannot afford to pay the full charge as their savings may be tied up in their home. The Council is able to offer the person a loan through t…
Self-funders Individuals who pay the full costs of their care are known as 'self-funders'. An individual may become a self funder because he/she: has income and assets that are above the financial threshold for financial support from the Council chooses to be not financially assessed and may want…
ASC Practice Guide What direct payments are and how to use them, understanding the risks involved in managing a direct payment and ensuring care plans meet the person's needs. Also, what support is available from People Plus (commissioned service). "I can decide the kind of support I need and when…
What is a direct payment? What is a direct payment (DP) If Adult Social Care has agreed that someone is eligible for support, they may be offered a personal budget. A way that the person can manage their personal budget is by receiving a direct payment (DP). A direct payment is a cash amount base…
How to use a direct payment Direct Payments are to be used to pay for support that meets the outcomes agreed in the support plan, examples of what the direct payment can be used for include: employing a personal assistant to provide support with household tasks or personal care b uying services f…
Risk management Adults who receive a direct payment are entitled to make their own decisions and to take risks in the same way that any other person is entitled to make choices involving risk. However safeguards should be put in place to prevent any potential abuse and to support the adult with m…
Care management and direct payments A person is assessed as being eligible for support, Direct Payments will be discussed with them throughout the care and support planning, or review, process. The person will be informed of both the benefits and responsibilities of receiving a Direct Payment to…
Direct payment support services People Plus are Camden's new Direct Payment support service and are now taking referrals to support anyone who wants to creatively draw on their care in the form of a direct payment. The referral form is available here - email it to: Email: [email protected].…
Payment methods Payment methods There are three payment methods by which an individual may receive a Direct Payment from ASC (prepaid card, bank account and managed payroll). The prepaid card is the Council’s default option. In all cases, Direct Payment recipients must keep appropriate records fo…
Payment methods (Managed payroll) Managed Payroll Service If an individual is not able to manage their Direct Payments through the pre-paid card, or would prefer not to take on the full administrative responsibility associated with making payments, they will be offered an option of managed payrol…
Direct Payments Frequently Asked Questions 1) What is a direct payment? Direct payments are money payments paid to you by Adult Social Care to pay for your care and support. They are an easy and convenient way of receiving your personal budget. Personal budget is the amount of money you have been…
Money and Benefits Quick guidance on choice and affordability for social care practitioners In line with the Care Act 2014 the local authority has a duty to assess and ensure that all eligible needs arising from that assessment are met and the identification of eligible need will be based on the N…
Care and Support No recourse to public funds (NRPF) applies to people who are subject to immigration control and as a result have no entitlement to certain public funds such as homelessness assistance, certain welfare benefits and allocation of social housing through the council register. Further…
NRPF network The NRPF network shares good practice across the sector in order to support councils to support people with no recourse to public funds according to national guidance. The website provides: adult social care practice guidance. free online resources. training. project managing the NRP…
ASC Practice Guide Information on Joint Funding and NHS Continuing Healthcare for practitioners The North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group joint funding policy applies when an individual over 18 is assessed as not eligible for continuing healthcare funding however specific identified ne…
E-learning The E-learning for Healthcare have produced an e-learning module. The topics covered include the legal background to NHS Continuing Healthcare policy, high quality assessment and decision-making, dealing with disputes, and skills training for staff involved in NHS Continuing Healthcare.
NHS CHC delivery model A toolkit can now be found on the NHS Continuing Health Care ( NHSCHC ) website containing resources on CHC. This includes information on the CHC process such as: screening full assessment verification and decision making funded nursing care fast track brokerage personal he…
Process for joint funding
Disputes Disputes Guidance Documents You can find the updated NCL disputes policy for CHC eligibility here . You can view guidance on stages and timeframes of disputes here .
NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC) is provided solely by the NHS when an individual over 18 is assessed and found to have a primary health need as set out in National Framework. The care package will meet the individual's health and social care needs that have arisen as a result of disability, a…
Eligibility for joint funding Joint funding can be provided where there is no alternative funding stream e.g. section 117, s75, s256 budgets, discharge to assess or funded nursing care. It applies to individuals over 18 or during the transition assessment and can be applied in any setting. In ord…
Camden Integrated Adult Service (CICH) includes district nursing, nursing care, rehabilitation, self-management and enablement for people in their own homes and other community settings. The multi-disciplinary team is made up of: district and community nurses occupational therapists physiotherapi…
Benefits and Welfare Rights Money Matters Information about support with benefits, including Camden ASC's Welfare Rights Service
Benefits and Welfare Rights Information on Adult Social Care's Welfare Rights team and accessing support for benefits The Welfare Rights team provides information and advice on welfare benefits to Camden residents that draw on social care services, including sick or disabled and older people. The…