The Care Act 2014

This article is a guide to the Care Act 2014 and how it affects you.

Page contents:

• About the Care Act 2014
• What role local authorities play in care and support
• How the Act aims to prevent people developing care and support needs

About the Care Act 2014

The Care Act 2014 reformed the law relating to care and support for adults, and the law relating to support for carers.

See GOV.UK for more information on the Care Act and care and support statutory guidance.

Links to and copies of accessible and easy read information about the changes brought about by the act are included on the right of this page.

What role local authorities play in care and support

Under the Care Act, local authorities take on new functions to make sure that people who live in their areas:

• receive services that prevent their care needs from becoming more serious, or delay the impact of their needs
• can get the information and advice they need to make good decisions about care and support
• have a range of providers offering a choice of high quality, appropriate services

You can read more about how South Gloucestershire Council assess eligible care and support needs here.

The South Gloucestershire Council local account is an annual report that sets out how well we are doing in meeting the needs of South Gloucestershire residents who require care and support. 

How the Act aims to prevent people developing care and support needs

The Care Act will help to improve people’s independence and wellbeing. It makes clear that local authorities must provide or arrange services that help prevent people developing needs for care and support or delay people deteriorating such that they would need ongoing care and support.

Local authorities have to consider various factors:

• what services, facilities and resources are already available in the area (for example local voluntary and community groups), and how these might help local people
• identifying people in the local area who might have care and support needs that are not being met
• identifying carers in the area who might have support needs that are not being met

In taking on this role, local authorities will work with their communities and provide or arrange services that help to keep people well and independent. This should include identifying the local support and resources already available and helping people to access them.

Local authorities should also provide or arrange a range of services which are aimed at reducing needs and helping people regain skills, for instance after a spell in hospital. They should work with other partners, like the NHS, to think about what types of service local people may need now and in the future.

The Personal Social Services Adult Social Care Survey (ASCS) 

The Adult Social Care Survey is a national survey carried out by South Gloucestershire Council’s Adult Social Care service on behalf of NHS England.  It asks service users about their quality of life, the impact of services on their quality of life, and their general health and well being.  The results are to help us assess and improve our local services, and align with the Care Act 2014. 

The survey is sent to randomly chosen people who have received care and support services paid for or arranged by South Gloucestershire Council.  For example, service users might live in a care home, attend a day centre, have a care worker, or use meals services. 

A copy of the national report for the annual survey is published on the NHS England webpage if you would like to access it:

Adult Social Care Survey national report 

The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England (SACE) 

The national Survey of Adult Carers in England is carried out every two years by South Gloucestershire Council’s Adult Social Care service on behalf of NHS England.  An informal carer is someone who looks after a partner, family member or friend in need of support or services because of frailty, physical or learning disability, or illness, including mental illness, and who is aged 18 or over. This is regardless of whether the carer receives a carers allowance. The survey asks about the carer’s views on the services you and the person you care for receive and your quality of life and helps us assess and improve our local services for people. 

This survey is sent to randomly chosen carers who have had contact with South Gloucestershire Council Adult Social Care, or an organisation working on behalf of our Adult Social Care services over the last 12 months, such as the Carer’s Centre. 

A copy of the national report for the annual survey is published on the NHS England webpage if you would like to access it:

Survey of Adult Carers published report