01 July 2014
From today (Tuesday 1 July) Islanders who have long-term care needs will have access to a new form of financial support from the States.
The new long-term care scheme will help people who for the rest of their life are expected to need substantial help with daily activities such as getting out of bed and dressed. It is available to people paying for this kind of care in their own home, as well as care home residents.
For the first time, there will be a single set of rules that will apply to all adults who need long-term care, covering the way in which care needs are assessed, and the way in which the cost of care is supported.
The Social Security Minister, Senator Francis Le Gresley, said “The scheme is the culmination of a great deal of hard work across a number of States departments and years of policy research. It is a response to the concerns of many Islanders and represents a sharing of the risks, responsibilities and costs of long-term care, at a time when the ageing population means more of us are likely to face such challenges now and in the future.”
New long-term care contribution
The costs of the scheme will be met from a dedicated long-term care fund. A new long-term care contribution will start to be collected from Islanders from January 2015.
These contributions will initially be set at 0.5% in 2015 and then at 1% from 2016 onwards. They will be collected alongside income tax using both the ITIS system and direct billing.
More than 1,100 people in Jersey currently receive long-term care, about 60% of whom already receive some kind of financial support from Health and Social Services or Social Security. They have been transferred automatically to the new scheme.
Senator Le Gresley said “There are a significant number of people who currently fund their care completely independently of States departments. My officers have worked closely with local care homes and care providers to offer people in this group the opportunity to pre-register for the new scheme. Many people have taken up this offer, and have already received a care assessment under the new LTC scheme.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the care homes and providers who have worked hard behind the scenes to facilitate this process and minimise the potential impact on their clients. Assessments of existing ‘self-funders’ will continue over the next few months, with any time spent receiving high-level care since the beginning of 2013 counting towards the new scheme.”
Anyone who starts to receive long-term care, either in a care home or their own home, can request a care assessment from the new long-term care team, who will guide you through the care assessment and any financial assessment that is needed.
The long-term care team can be emailed or called on +44 (0)1534 444440.
Email long-term care team
gov.je