National Care Service - making sure your voice is heard: regional forums - easy read findings summary

Eligibility criteria

Eligibility criteria is how we decide if someone needs care services or not. If we decide someone should get services, we say they are ‘eligible’.

What is working well?

There were no positive comments about the eligibility criteria. People felt strongly that eligibility criteria does not work.

What is not working well?

People are at crisis point before they can get the support they need.

Eligibility is about money and resources rather than need.

Moving care when people move to a different area was an issue.

There is not enough awareness about self-directed support (SDS) options. People are not able to choose the best option for them.

There are long waiting times for services

Eligibility should be the same in all areas.

Support planning should be flexible. People have different needs.

Eligibility criteria does not include everyone that needs services.

How can we make it better?

The system for eligibility criteria needs to change.

There needs to be a standard method across Scotland.

People need to be involved in decisions about their care.

There should be a named and trusted social worker who knows the person. They will be able to re-assess the person’s needs when things change.

There should be more accessible information about what will happen. This will help people to be prepared.