Working-Age Disabled Adults

Debate between Baroness Barran and Baroness Campbell of Surbiton

Monday 24th June 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Campbell of Surbiton]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what crisis prevention measures are in place to address the difficulties of those working-age disabled adults who have lost the support needed to live independently in the community.

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

My Lords, it is critical to the vision of the Care Act 2014 that the care and support system promotes well-being and independence rather than waiting until people reach crisis point to respond. Local authorities must provide or arrange services, resources and facilities that maximise independence for those who have or are developing care needs.

[Baroness Campbell of Surbiton (CB)]

I thank the Minister for her reply, but according to research findings, her words simply do not match the experience of disabled people on the ground. For example, the London Borough of Barnet has recently adopted without consultation a policy that it will no longer prioritise offering community-based care and will instead adopt “an assumption” that disabled people are placed in “cheaper accommodation settings”? Do the Government believe that such a policy is compatible with the Care Act’s well-being principle and the requirement that assessments,

“must consider how to meet each person’s specific needs rather than simply considering what service they will fit into”?

[Baroness Barran]

The noble Baroness gives a troubling example and correctly quotes the basic principle of the Care Act: to assess the needs of and have a duty to promote the well-being of the individual. Without more detail, I cannot comment on the specific case, but I am more than happy to take it up with the department if she is happy to share that information.