Inform & Advise

Introduction

Hi all,

Happy New Year, and welcome to the January 2022 edition of the Inform and Advise newsletter for local Age UKs/Cymrus. Omicron may have affected your Christmas plans (as it did mine), but hopefully you still managed to have a good time and a good rest and kept safe and well.  January is always a tough month, but looking on the bright side, the days are getting longer, we don’t have all of the restrictions that we had last year – and there’s an info-packed Inform & Advise to read! On top of the usual updates on guides, resources, there is information on forthcoming webinars, new guidance and resources on seeking donations, and a focus on NHS Continuing Healthcare. We also have a book review - please do send in your ideas about what books (or websites, blogs etc.) might be interesting for I&A workers – you don’t have to write the review, just send in the idea.

John Edwards, Head of I&A Strategy

If you have any questions about this bulletin, please contact Age UK on adviceunit@ageuk.org.uk

Please note: some items in the Briefings are not relevant for partners in Wales; these are marked up in the Briefings.

Seeking donations from Service Users - new template leaflet, donation form and guidance

Working closely with the charity's Fundraising division, the Brand team at Age UK have produced a template leaflet and template donation form that your organisation can use to show the ways in which older people who use your services can support your organisation, including by making a donation.

There are regulatory considerations and operational risks in making a direct ask for a donation from someone who has benefitted from your services, and it isn’t advised to do so, but these risks can be mitigated by presenting the giving of a donation as one of a range of options by which someone can support your organisation.  The template ‘How you can help’ leaflet does that by showing that support can be given in a number of ways, including (as appropriate for each partner):

• Telling your friends about our services
• Making a donation
• Using our paid for services, buying our products
• Donating unwanted goods to our shop
• Volunteering
• Leaving a legacy

The template leaflet, which is hosted on Brand Hub, is editable so that you can include those options you want to offer. 

The template donation form is also hosted on Brand Hub.  The wording has been carefully chosen to meet regulatory requirements, but you can edit name and contact details of your Age UK and add in your privacy statement.  The leaflet and form can be printed separately or can both be printed on the same sheet.

To access the templates to start editing, go to the Age UK Brand Hub (https://brandhub.ageuk.org.uk/login/) – details are in appendix A of the guidance, link below.  The templates will be available from 14th January 2022.

Guidance on ‘Soliciting Donations from Service Users’ has been produced and agreed with the Age England Association.  This sets out the regulatory requirements, and the risks, to guide you in thinking about this issue. The guidance, which also includes examples of the leaflet and form can be found here

The guidance and resources were originally developed for I&A services, but they are also relevant other charitable services that Age UKs provide.

Please do give feedback as we want to ensure that the templates are useful for as many partners as possible.  For example, one suggestion already is to have a space for people to commit to regular giving, rather than just a one-off donation.  We will review the templates in April, based on your feedback.  Send feedback to john.edwards@ageuk.org.uk

Changes to Landline telephones 

You may be starting to get enquiries from older people who are concerned about BT making changes to landlines.  As part of the UK’s telephone network being upgraded, all landlines will be replaced with an internet-based system, by the end of 2025.  Whilst most people will see little change, it could affect things like telecare and burglar alarms, and old-style telephones may not work with the new system.  People who don’t have a broadband connection now may be concerned about the change.  The switchover can create an opportunity for criminals to develop new scams, over the phone, via email, or through doorstep callers.  This article (https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-10198081/BT-warned-phone-shake-puts-vulnerable-risk.html) highlights some of the concerns.

The Policy Team at Age UK is talking to Openreach about the upgrade and its impact on older people.  In the meantime, the website has information that you can use with people who contact you about this - https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/consumer-issues/changes-to-landline-telephones/

Book review – The Book About Getting Older, by Dr Lucy Pollock 

I can’t remember where I heard about this book, but I am very glad I did.  Dr Lucy Pollock is a geriatrician, and it is very clear that she loves her job, and she loves working with older people.  Her book is useful for people who are contemplating their own later life but is of immediate value to those looking after or worried about their older relatives or friends, or who work with older people.

The chapters cover a wide range of issues – falls, incontinence, dementia, driving, decision-making, amongst others – and each is illustrated by stories of older people that Dr Lucy has supported, making it relatable and easy to read, and guides the reader through essential conversations about getting older that go straight to the heart of what matters most.  It is very positive in showing that things can be common in older people – falls, incontinence – but they are not ‘normal’, and there are things that can be done to manage them.  Some things are quite shocking such as the fact that older people may be prescribed medicines which cause more harm than good, and that pharmaceutical trials aren’t conducted on the older people who are the main users of them, as it is too complicated.

Here are a couple of reviews:

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/books/lucy-pollock-andrew-steele-getting-older-b870674.html

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/51780181-the-book-about-getting-older

If you do read the book let me know what you think (john.edwards@ageuk.org.uk) and do share any of your own book recommendations.

NHS Continuing Healthcare 

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is NHS funding for people identified as having a ‘primary health need’. This means the main aspects or the majority of the care they need is focused on addressing and preventing health needs. If eligible for CHC, the full cost of care is paid for by the NHS and can be provided in a range of settings. The term ‘primary health need’ is explained in more detail in section 3.3 of Factsheet 20: NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care. 

Backlog - NHS CHC assessments resumed on the 1 September 2020 following a temporary pause due to Covid-19. The reintroduction of CHC assessments and reviews has put additional pressure on Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to clear the back log, raising concerns about standards and processes used when conducting assessments. For example, Beacon have highlighted the use of screening tools which are not permitted. In England, CCGs must follow the guidance set out in The National Framework for Continuing Healthcare and Funded Nursing Care when assessing eligibility for CHC.

Advice - Clients seeking information and advice about challenging a CHC decision may first wish to refer to section 9 of factsheet 20. If they want further specialist advice to explore their situation, including preparing for an assessment, we can signpost to Beacon CHC.

Beacon - Beacon is a social enterprise created from a service provided by Age UK Oxfordshire. They currently offer 90 minutes of free advice over the telephone, funded by NHS England.  The 90 minutes can be used over separate sessions, and therefore it is advisable to encourage clients to be prepared before calling so they can make the most of the free advice on offer. Beacon also offer a low-cost casework service, but clients need to make enquiries directly with Beacon about their requirements.

Other organisations may offer a similar service but are not endorsed by Age UK.

Other legal advice - Clients seeking legal representation are advised to refer to information in Factsheet 43: Getting legal and financial advice .

Finally, if you want further advice about specific clients, use the Age UK Email Enquiry Service. The TASO team can advise on health services including CHC, social care, housing, and social security benefits.  And you could attend the NHS CHC webinar on 30th March – see below.

TASO Spring Webinar Series

Universal Credit webinar Wednesday 23 February 2022, 10am-midday

Presenter – Liam Bradford, Money and benefits TASO.

This online webinar will provide a general introduction to Universal Credit including who can claim and who must claim as a result of natural or managed migration, including the rules around mixed age couples.

As part of this, there will be information about the interaction between Universal Credit and other benefits, such as legacy benefit claimants – including those in receipt of the severe disability premium (SDP) – and pension age benefits when a claimant is nearing State Pension age.

We will also look at the Universal Credit claim process, the elements that make up entitlement, work conditionality and sanctions. To get the most out of the session, we recommend you look at factsheet 92 Universal Credit before attending this webinar.

Housing repairs and maintenance webinar Wednesday 2 March 2022, 10am-midday

Presenter – Lottie Beauchamp, Housing TASO

Building on learning from the previous round of webinars, we will consider the links between housing status and rights to repairs and maintenance, with a focus on tenancy rights.

We will cover:

• Rights under the tenancy agreement and other sources of protection and support
• The landlord’s ‘repairing obligation’ and their newer duty on ‘fitness for human habitation’ – who benefits from these and how are they different?
• Enforcing your rights while being mindful of your tenancy security
• Covid-19 and the latest on tenancy security, landlord and owner-occupier repairs.

Options for owner-occupiers and licensees will be briefly discussed, but this is a session on tenancy rights in the main.

Before the session, if you want to, you can have a look at factsheet 67 Home improvements and repairs, although this isn’t compulsory.

Social care needs assessment and care planning webinar Wednesday 9 March 10am-midday

Presenter – David Broome, Social Care TASO

 The webinar addresses the care and support process under the Care Act 2014, beginning with the needs assessment through to the eligibility criteria and care and support planning.

Advisors will learn about the key legal duties and common issues and problems, from the perspective of advising clients seeking local authority care and support.

In particular, the webinar covers:

• Needs assessment: the duty to assess, forms of assessment, timescales and common problems.
• Eligibility criteria: eligible needs under the care and support criteria, illustrated through case studies
• Care and support plan: key elements of the care plan, care plan reviews and revision.

NHS Continuing Healthcare webinar Wednesday 30 March 10am-midday

Presenter – Rachel Freeman, Health and End-of-life TASO

The webinar is a basic introduction to NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC) and the National Framework that NHS staff in England must follow when deciding eligibility.

We will look at:

• What NHS CHC is and the basis for deciding eligibility, ways to initiate the process and what eligibility means for arranging and funding ongoing care
• Key stages in the decision-making process, with a closer look at a key document – the Decision-Support-Tool
• Challenging a final decision, with a focus on where individuals might usefully direct their attention and the supporting role of Beacon
• What experience shows are pressure points in the process, along with a Covid-19 update

Before the session, you can have a look at factsheet 20 NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care although this isn’t compulsory.

Tips for getting the most out of the TASO Webinars

• Use the Teams app running through a laptop or a tablet to watch webinars, rather than using your internet browser (e.g. Chrome, Safari, etc) or a mobile device. The Teams app will allow you to make full use of the functionality like asking questions through the chat function as well as joining breakout rooms. If you do not use the Teams app, you may not be able to participate or see various aspects of the presentation such as polls or breakout rooms. You should still be able to see and hear all of the TASO presentation regardless.
• All webinars will start at 10am sharp unless otherwise explicitly stated. We’re aware of a bug which means that after registering for a webinar, the confirmation email you receive states the session will start at 11am. Ignore this and please join the session shortly before 10am regardless.
• You must register to join and watch the TASO webinars. This is something required by Teams and we do not have the option to switch this function off. As such, it’s a good idea to register for any webinar a few days in advance of the session to ensure you can join without problems.
• We will record all sessions so that other advisers who cannot attend the live session have the opportunity to go back and watch it at a later date. By completing the registration form and asking for a link to watch the live session, we are assuming that you are also consenting to being recorded.
• You can ask questions live during the session using the Teams “Meeting chat” option, see the picture below for the button that brings up this function and the chat box on the right hand side.

• Your microphone is muted and you are off camera when you join a session and you cannot change this yourself. If you ask a question using the Meeting chat function, we may ask you if you would like to ask your question directly to the TASO presenting the session. If you would like to do this, we can enable you to unmute your microphone and switch on your camera.
• Polls – to try and make the sessions more interactive, we’re making use of the Teams polls functionality. When the TASO launches a poll, you should see this type of thing pop up on your screen. As you can see, the poll obscures your view of the text and content underneath the form.

If this causes problems with remembering exactly what the question or case study was about, you can click the X in the top right-hand side of the poll box and it should still be available to answer in the Q&A chat on the right hand side as below.

After the Session:

If you would like to access the webinar slides or a recording of the webinar, both will be available on the Age UK e-learning site after the session (please allow us 24hours to upload this).

In order to access the e-learning content, you must go to the e-learning site which is at https://ageukelearning.co.uk/my/ and log-in if you have an account.

If you do not have account, you can register for one using this form.

Evaluation - Please also complete the evaluation form that you can find on the e-learning site as well.

Common Enquiry Codes Q3 – deadline Monday 17th January 2022

The deadline to send us your enquiry code figures for Quarter 3 (Oct, Nov, Dec) is Monday 17th January 2022. Please send your figures to adviceunit@ageuk.org.uk as usual.

If you are not a Charitylog user, please ensure that you send us your figures on the 2021-22 template available on the loop here, and also include your benefit take-up figures and type of contact figures.

If you are a Charitylog user, please ensure that you:

Choose the correct date when completing the box, Reporting Year Start Date: 1 April 2021. Check the codes end at the final row (grand total) on the export. For 2021-22 this should be row 1548.Include your benefit take-up and type of contact figures in the enquiry code spreadsheet, available on the loop here Send the Charitylog report and Excel spreadsheet together in one email to adviceunit@ageuk.org.uk

Coronavirus codes

You’ll be aware that we produced some codes relating to Coronavirus last year so that, if you wanted to, you could record enquiries you were getting using these codes. If you have continued to use these, it would be great if you’re able to send us a copy of this completed template along with the Common Enquiry Codes.

If you have questions about reporting your data this month, please contact Catherine Howard at adviceunit@ageuk.org.uk

Keep Well This Winter – new video on Age UK website

The Information Content team at Age UK have produced a new video for the website, which is now live.  You can find it here: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/keep-well-this-winter/

The video is being promoted through social media and other methods, and hopefully it will encourage people to read more about keeping well in the Winter Wrapped Up Guide.  It is animated using the style of drawings used in the Guide and voiced by our very own Paul Treloar who heads the Technical Advice Support Team.

If you have any feedback about the video, please contact tim.sheaff@ageuk.org.uk

Updated Guides

We are currently working on various stages of the following guides, hoping to have all updated by the end of January:

• AgeUKIG07: Your hospital stay
• AgeUKIG24: Healthy living
• AgeUKIG21: Powers of attorney
• AgeUKIG03: When someone dies
• AgeUKIG32: Bereavement
• AgeUKIG51: Thinking about end of life
• AgeUKIG45: Looking after your money
• AgeUKIG57: Getting help with debt
• AgeUKIG14: Staying steady
• AgeUKIG15: Bladder and bowel problems

We’ll let you know next month when the guides are ready to order. You can order any of these guides through the normal email address at orders@ageuk.co.uk, and If you have any questions about these updates or upcoming guides, please email tim.sheaff@ageuk.org.uk.

Benefits, Housing and Health & Care Briefings 

This month’s Benefits briefing, produced by Liam Bradford, Technical Advice Support Officer – Money and Benefits 

Includes information about proposed benefit and State Pension rates for 2022/23, and an upcoming review of increasing State Pension age. Also, new Covid easements for UC, ESA and Statutory Sick Pay and a Supreme Court decision regarding EEA citizens with pre-settled status and their rights to means-tested benefits

This month’s Housing briefing, produced by Lottie Beauchamp, Technical Advice Support Officer – Housing,

Includes information on new smoke and carbon monoxide rules proposed for rented housing, a consultation on housing legal aid being launched, with support for related debt and welfare benefits proposed and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner seeks views of older survivors

This month’s Health and Care briefing, produced by David Broome, Technical Advice Support Officer – Social Care, and Rachel Freeman, Technical Advice Support Officer – Health & End of Life

Includes information on the Government confirming Liberty Protection Safeguards not coming into force in April 2022 and the Government launches consultation on a ‘Small Payments Scheme’ for adults lacking mental capacity. Also covered is the Covid19 Booster vaccination programme and accessing antiviral medication.

Control what you get from Age UK communications

Sign up: You can subscribe to newsletters for local Age UKs using our online sign-up.

Control what you receive: You can update your existing subscription and details online.

Unsubscribe: To unsubscribe, please email signpost@ageuk.org.uk. If you click the unsubscribe link in the footer you'll unsubscribe from all Age UK newsletters.