Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is considering the introduction of standardised written agreements or minimum documentation requirements for care arrangements involving local authority oversight, in order to improve clarity on payment responsibilities and reduce the risk of disputes.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why they are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people, including implementing care arrangements that are transparent and put the people drawing on care at the centre of decisions.

Also, under the Care Act, charging is based on a number of principles, including that people should not be charged more than it is reasonably practicable for them to pay and that charging approaches should be clear, transparent, and comprehensive so people know what they will be charged.

Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, they must follow the Care Act and the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and they must act under the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance.

The responsibility for applying the law and the CASS guidance rests with local authorities, and they should ensure that their approaches to charging are clear and transparent, so people know what they will be charged.