RJ Advocacy Services

20/09/2024

Really looking forward to joining Daniel Edmondson at Advise Wise in 2 weeks for this hot on-topic webinar where we will be discussing approaches for later life clients when their assets are approaching or below the current £23,250 threshold for adult social care funding

We will be

- 🗞️covering the current situation with adult social care

- 🎗️detailing support and solutions through case studies

- 🪜working through actionable steps

- 🤝 discussing how working with care providers such as Hometouch and accredited later life financial advisers linked to Advise Wise and Society of Later Life Advisers can make a positive difference to people and families going through difficult times

Look forward to welcoming as many people who can make it

To book your space please click the registration link https://lnkd.in/dWBpRKzP

Really looking forward to joining Daniel Edmondson at Advise Wise in 2 weeks for this hot on-topic webinar where we will be discussing approaches for later…

05/08/2024

Good financial advice and advice around the adult social care system has never been more important as it is now - aswell as advice around the right care setting - have that conversation with family and friends, seek advice and assistance before everything becomes overwhelming

Labour has announced it will scrap the 'social care cap' leaving families in financial peril

05/08/2024

This article is about the impact of scrapping the planned social care reforms and the funding of later life care and the impact it can have on finances - and it can happen to anyone - this couple are not a one off example where

💸Debt piled up through care costs

🤷The ‘unpaid’ carer had to seek alternative or lower paid employment

😩🏠A distressed house sale occurred

✍️Local authority and NHS funding was required when the money ran out

The stark reality in numbers is

🧓👵1 in 3 of us are over 65

👷👷‍♀️400 of us are giving up full time work every week to care for a loved one

📈1,000,000 people and inexorably rising in the UK have dementia

📉The financial threshold for adult social care of £23,250 for financial assistance has not risen for 14 years

It is just so important to get good later life financial advice from an accredited Society of Later Life Advisers financial adviser such as SwitchFoot Wealth Limited

As a Society of Later Life Advisers affiliate my company RJ Advocacy Services can provide assistance with the Adult Social Care system as the need to engage with local authorities becomes a requirement as the financial threshold fast approaches or has already been breached

Labour has announced it will scrap the 'social care cap' leaving families in financial peril

02/08/2024

In light of the scrapping by the new Government scrapping the introduction of the care cap in October 2025 the Chair of the Local Government Association responds :

“Right now, councils are being pushed to the brink with rising adult social care costs, children’s placements and temporary accommodation,” said Pete Marland, the chair of the LGA’s economy and resources board.

“Any further funding reductions in the years ahead would be an unthinkable prospect with councils of all types already struggling to protect the services which bind our communities together and protect our most vulnerable from cutbacks.”

We really must to do better as people are really struggling with all aspects of the Adult Social Care system - let’s hope the much vaunted National Care Service matches expectations when it arrives !

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2024/07/29/government-scraps-cap-on-care-costs-to-help-tackle-22bn-public-spending-black-hole/ #:~:text=Chancellor%20Rachel%20Reeves%20announced%20today,inheritance%20from%20its%20Conservative%20predecessors

30/04/2024

Sharing information is so important, and especially when it's about something as crucial as adult social care.

At RJ Advicacy I'm here to share my expertise so that others might have an improved experience, but it can also help to hear shared expereinces from others who are dealing with similar challenges, in the knowledge that they're not alone.

We would welcome your comments and experiences with the adult social care system - the things that went well and things that perhaps didn't go so well, so that we can learn from each other and in some small way improve the shared experience.

Please feel free to send a message directly if you would prefer your comments to remain anonymous.

By sharing our knowledge we grow stronger as a collective group to be able to make a real change.

16/04/2024

Last year's regulations on Vulnerability and Consumer duty were introduced to set higher and clearer standards, protecting consumers in financial services and ensuring that firms put their customer needs first.

The rules require firms to act to deliver good outcomes and avoid any foreseeable harm, and this is never more important than when it comes to adult social care.

There's a huge focus on consumer understanding and effective communications to ensure that customers can make informed decisions with understandable information. And firms must ensure they provide support to the customer throughout their relationship and the customer journey in order to facilitate best outcomes.

That's where RJ Advocacy can help. Providing expert adult social care support to those who need it most and as an affiliate of Society of Later Life Advisers supporting Society of Later Life Advisers financial advisers in delivering positive outcomes for their clients. My referral partners can also assist with a wide range of legal services, care services and application for benefit services.

Get in touch to find out more. We're here on hand to help.

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/new-fca-consumer-duty-confirmed-and-explained

With a new Consumer Principle, clarified outcomes and phased implementation, the FCA released the final rules and guidance on a new Consumer Duty at the end of July: one of the biggest changes in the retail consumer regulatory landscape in recent years.

03/04/2024

The recent article in the Times attached is a sobering wake up call for the funding of adult social care right across the UK and the financial advice that might be provided prior to the need to access the adult social care system.

Whilst this article is about the trials that Kate Garraway, the TV presenter, went through to obtain care funding for her late husband, Derek Draper. There are key points in this article and the links that are embedded within it for everyone.

- There are no guarantees that you or your loved ones will qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) - which is essence means that the NHS will fund those with 24 hour complex medical needs either at home or in a care home.

- The application and assessment process for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) can be slow and decisions vary across the country.

Allied to this

- The cost of care has increased dramatically amid the recent surge of inflation and increased staff costs with costs for care homes running at around £8,000 per month and live in or domilicary care running close behind. Some inner London care homes are costing £13,000 per month.

- The asset value point where eligibility for local authority funding is £23,250 and this asset value point hasn't changed for 14 years. The government has proposed increasing the asset threshold for some social care funding to £100,000 in the next parliament but the chances of this happening are slim as most of the recommendations from the Dilnot Commission from 2011 have yet to be put in place. It is also worth pointing out that there is something of a sting in the tail to the £100,000 cap as it only applies to costs to do with personal care, like washing and dressing rather than accommodation costs.

- If you have assets that you would like to shield from inheritance tax or from the local authority by way of a trust to attempt to get the local authority to pay for care it would be advisable to tread very carefully as they will challenge any suspect circumstances. If it proves you have deliberately deprived yourself of assets it can start proceedings to declare you bankrupt, take you to court or recoup the money from the beneficiary a trust. In some instances, local councils have been known to go back 20 or 30 years to investigate certain disposals of assets.

With almost 11 million people aged 65 or older across England and Wales in 2021, an increase of 1.8 million from 2011, the demographic time bomb is in the process of going critical.

So it is so important now to plan plan plan as unless things change dramatically there will be much to consider for future long term care planning.

As RJ Advocacy Services I am here to assist with any of the above highlighted concerns so please drop me a line or give me call and I can assist to make quality care a reality for you and your loved ones.

Families are facing heartache and hardship. Even TV presenters like Kate Garraway are not immune, say Rachel Mortimer and Ali Hussain

26/03/2024

There's a crucial need for work to be done for effective recruitment and retention of the adult social care workforce.

And Care England are one organisation who are rising to the challenge and trying to do their bit to help.

Launching an end-to-end solution to help care providers and Local Authorities solve the recruitment and retention conundrum.

They've partnered with four organisations – Care Character, Care Friends, Jobtrain and Vivup – which have separately been shown to significantly improve recruitment and retention rates across the sector.

By bringing these services together, they collectively offer an end-to-end solution to address the current sector-wide vacancy rate, the quality and development of carers, lower turnover rates and significantly reduce costs for providers.

A robust workforce in the social care sector is a critical requirement for helping us all towards the quality care we deserve.

And it's great to see such proactive initiaitives designed to help us all.

Care England, the largest representative body of independent providers of adult social care in England, has today launched an end-to-end solution to help care

21/03/2024

Networking is such an important part of effective business strategy.

Making great connections and opening up opportunties and introductions to new customers who may be in need of our support.

And to provide effective support, we all need a support network of our own, in both our personal and professional lives.

I'm still wowed by the Omni Business Development Network of Guildford and Woking which I attended a few weeks ago and which I will going along to on Friday. A friendly group who welcomed my presentation about RJ Advocacy Services and the assistance I provide regarding challenges with adult social care and the NHS systems.

Thank you so much once again to John Gower for the invitation. And here's to all those who offer us support in everything we do.

20/03/2024

Recent changes to government funding have highlighted that there's recognition of a problem with the UK system for adult social care. The care provision for the country as we enter into later life is a social responsibilty that needs to be addressed. We all need to do our bit to make things better where we can, and RJ Advocacy is my own small part in trying to make a difference. Helping those who are struggling with care, for themselves or for their family. Get in touch to see how we can help.

13/03/2024

There are so many consultants out there today. For all sorts of things. It's hard to know what we need and what we don't, whose services will be really beneficial and will make a real difference to our lives. At RJ Advocacy Services I help with mediation and advocacy services for anyone struggling with adult social care. It's a system that can be so hard to navigate, and my customers are the reason I do what I do. Making things that little bit easier at a time that's so difficult. I've been there myself and I know what it's like, not knowing where to turn. Every circumstance is different and it's important for me to understand every individual customer need. I'm here to listen, so please get in touch if you know anyone who would like a confidential conversation.