CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire GOFAL ARTHRITIS

Arthritis Care in Wales

Introduction

Arthritis Care in Wales exists to support people, living in the principality with arthritis. We are a user led organization and the UK’s largest organization working with and for all people who have arthritis.  We represent the interests of people in Wales with Arthritis. We welcome this opportunity to comment on the National Assembly for Wales (legislative Competence) order.

Overall Response to WAG Seeking a Legislative Competence Order

In principle Arthritis Care agrees with the request to Westminster to grant the autonomy of charging for non - residential care coming under the ambit of the Welsh Assembly Government and also looks forward to the subsequent measure arriving on the legal landscape of Wales. However Arthritis Care hopes that WAG, using its powers will continue to take further action to address the inequalities and injustices inherent in the present system, for example to include not charging against Occupational Pensions or taking spouses income into account, not charging direct charges at source and raising the saving threshold.

LCO Remit

Arthritis care advocates that the remit to be inclusive and proactive. Inclusivity would allow the ambit of the perceived measure to be broad enough to include the wide range of needs among those assessed as requiring community care as well as the range of non - residential services offered to support individuals. The remit must be proactive enough to anticipate contemporary arrangements, to meet the need of individualized budgets. This would stop the need for further requests and hence further delays.

LCO Definitions

To allow greatest legislative interpretation, that in turn allows for inclusivity, flexibility and proactively, in an evolving social environment, Arthritis Care advocates that the wording used within LCO will be as wide as possible and therefore avoid actual precise definitions that in the foreseeable future could limit the ambit of any measure.

Arthritis Care notes the following wording;

1. Matter 15.9 states 'in respect of individuals with particular needs’ It is submitted that the word 'particular’ be removed because it can be narrowed in its interpretation

2. Arthritis Care notes that the term 'social care’ is used. Is this synonymous with community care?

Conclusion

Arthritis Care welcomes the statement by the Deputy Minister for Services that this proposed LCO is placed within a framework that can actually result in zero charging for this care and in doing so has the ability to end inequalities that are making the Welsh system unjust

Helen Miller BVC, LLB
Policy Manager
Tel:07779340676
E mail: helenm@arthritiscare.org.uk