I laid an amendment to the policy letter on the restructuring of funding of health and care which sought to ensure that support for aids and equipment was considered by the States in relation to future funding. The amendment passed, and this is the speech I made.
Sir, the purpose of this amendment is 2 fold;
Firstly, to lay a marker in the sand to ensure that a review in this area is undertaken and secondly, to receive agreement in principle that the responsibility for the provision of benefit in relation to aids and equipment is transferred from ESS to HSC.
Now, I understand why P&R did not want this aspect dealt with in the policy letter as the source of funding and law in relation to it are different from those
BUT we, and by we, I mean HSC and ESS as the ESS President and myself are proposing the amendment on behalf of both Committees, believe that the principles are the same as for the services dealt with in the policy letter.
Members will have been provided with quite a detailed background appended to the amendment, kindly put together by Deputy Yerby. This sets out clearly the issues with the current structure and why a review is needed. I won’t repeat all that is in it now other than to say, the system is not transparent and requires transformation for 2 reasons;
Firstly to fit with the principles of the new model of care and more specifically fairer access to care, a universal offering and user-centred care. And secondly, to align with Article 26 of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which states how governments should enable people with disabilities to attain and maintain maximum independence.
S10 of the Income Support Law, a law that is 48 years old now, allows ESS to fund disability related equipment, aids and adaptations. It is not restricted to those on benefits as it is recognised that some equipment is prohibitively expensive. ESS can provide financial support in whole or in part, by grants, loans or both.
However, it is discretionary, with no rules around it, such that individualised decisions can be made, resulting in a lack of transparency with people unclear whether they can expect support or not.
As things stand, whilst HSC provide an occupational therapist who will undertake an assessment as well as a wheelchair service, we don’t order or pay for equipment. This is left to individuals and their families. If people can’t afford it, their options are to go to ESS or various charities. And on that I should like to thank all those charities who do provide such support in the community.
BUT this is very different from when you are prescribed a drug and know that it will only cost £4 per item, however much that drug actually costs the States. This can be a real issue for those families with children with disabilities and degenerative diseases where needs change over time.
Members may question the deadline date of June 2022 which seems a long time away. However, that is because we don’t want to raise expectations at this stage, especially as it is not part of the P&R Plan and both Committees will be maxed out between now and the next election with what is set out in that Plan. However, it will enable successor Committees to consider and determine whether they wish to raise up the order of work or stick to the date set.
Sir, this is an eminently sensible amendment to lay at this time, will be achievable without spending any money on outside consultants, and I ask members to support it.