The Government has introduced legislation permitting temporary 'easements' to the Care Act to help local councils as they respond to the outbreak.
It allows some duties to be relaxed if demand increases or staffing resources shrink to such an extent that it is no longer possible for councils to meet their statutory duties in full. It would enable councils to streamline assessment arrangements and prioritise resources as required.
Councillor Linda Leach, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: "The national guidance is clear that easements should only be used where essential to do so and for a short a time as possible, and our approach in Wolverhampton is that we won’t use the easements unless we absolutely have to – it would be as a last resort and only when all other options and alternatives have been explored.
"We are holding a short online consultation on our approach should we ever need to consider using the easements at any point in the future. We want to hear from you and your feedback is really important to us."
The consultation begins today (Friday 15 May) and continues until Monday 25 May. To take part, please visit Consultation on the proposed Care Act Easement Procedure.
The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at GOV.UK and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at Coronavirus advice and information. There’s lots of advice on how people can protect themselves and their families from coronavirus from the NHS.
The council’s Stay Safe, Be Kind campaign offers clear and simple advice about how people can help themselves, and how they can support others who may be particularly vulnerable at this time. For more information, please visit Stay Safe Be Kind.
