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| Long title | An Act to make provision to reform the law relating to care and support for adults and the law relating to support for carers; to make provision about safeguarding adults from abuse or neglect; to make provision about care standards; to establish and make provision about Health Education England; to establish and make provision about the Health Research Authority; to make provision about integrating care and support with health services; and for connected purposes |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2014 c. 23 |
| Introduced by | Frederick Curzon, 7th Earl Howe 9 May 2013[1] |
| Territorial extent | England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 May 2014[2] |
| Commencement | 7 July 2014, 15 July 2014 and 1 October 2014[3] |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Care Act 2014 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that received royal assent on 14 May 2014, after being introduced on 9 May 2013.[1][2] The main purpose of the act was to overhaul the existing 60-year-old legislation regarding social care in England. The Care Act 2014 sets out in one place, local authorities’ duties in relation to assessing people's needs and their eligibility for publicly funded care and support.[4]
The Act received the consensus of the three main political parties in the UK during its passage through parliament. The Act was implemented following substantial public consultation but was criticised for some of the funding reforms included within the Act.[5]
The Act was unusual in respect of being one of the few Acts to have started its progress in the House of Lords rather than the House of Commons.[5]
The Care Act is a lengthy act (129 clauses in the main part of the Act) addressing many issues: from a review of the public consultation 107 recommendations were made of which many were adopted.[6] However some of the major changes are:[5]
- That local councils now have a duty to promote the well-being of carers; previously their duty of care was only made to the users of the care services;
- That anyone receiving care and support from a regulated provider which has been arranged by the council will be covered by the Human Rights Act 1998;
- That councils must enable users or potential users of care services to access independent financial advice on their care funding;
- The introduction of a new appeals system for care users to appeal against council decisions on eligibility to care and care funding;
- Guidance on safeguarding vulnerable adults, which in England had taken the form of the 2000 No Secrets guidance, was replaced by statutory guidance issued under the legislation.[7]
- ^ a b "Thursday, 9 May 2013 - House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Bill stages — Care Act 2014". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ "The Care Act 2014 (Commencement No.1) Order 2014". The Stationery Office. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ "The Care Act: Assessment and eligibility". www.scie.org.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Brindle, David (5 June 2014). "What are the most important changes to the Care Act?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
- ^ "The Care Bill explained: Including a response to consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny on the Draft Care and Support Bill" (PDF). Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
- ^ Care and support statutory guidance, accessed 1 September 2017