Care Act 2014

• Changes to general responsibilities on local authorities including promoting people's wellbeing, focusing on prevention, and providing information and advice
• The introduction of a consistent, national eligibility criteria
• New rights to support for carers, on an equivalent basis to the people they care for
• Legal right to a personal budget and direct payment
• The extension of local authority adult social care responsibility to include prisons
• New responsibilities around transition, provider failure, supporting people who move between local authority areas, and safeguarding.

Proposed major reforms to the way that social care is funded will be implemented by the government in 2020. They will be:

• A lifetime 'cap' of no more than £72,000 for individuals on reasonable care costs to meet their eligible needs
• An increase in the capital threshold for people in residential care who own their own home

This three and a half minute video from Skill for Care is a good introduction to the Care Act.

This six minute video from the Social Care Institute for Excellence explains the Care Act in more detail.

More in-depth information on the Care Act is available from the Department of Health.