Tameside Council and Pension Service Joint Team

Annual Report 2008/2009

Download the Tameside Joint Team Annual Report in PDF format 703.73 KB .

• Introduction
• Customer Charter
• Annual Report
• Case Studies
• Customer Survey
• Appendix One - Customer Questionnaire
• Appendix Two - Monetary Value of Awards For Referrals Cleared
• Staff Team - April 2008 - March 2009 Tameside Joint Team

Introduction

Tameside Council has been working in partnership with the government’s Pension Service (part of the Department for Work and Pensions) since its formation in 2003. We formalised this arrangement in 2004 with the creation of the Joint Team. The Council has signed up to Local Area Agreement targets to increase the take-up of benefits by older people, in support of the government’s PSA Delivery Agreement 17 - Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and wellbeing in later life.

I am please to report that we are meeting those targets and in doing so have ensured that older people in Tameside have shared in excess of £5milllion in unclaimed benefits over the last year. However we are not complacent, and I would encourage any older person in Tameside who has not had a benefit check, to contact the council or the Pension Service to request one.

On behalf of the Council I would like to thank the staff involved for working so hard to make the service a success.

Councillor Brenda Warrington
Lead Executive Member

Customer Charter

What does the Joint Team do?

• We offer face to face benefit information and support to older people at Information Points based in various locations around Tameside or by home visit where needed.
  
  
• Complete financial assessment forms for people of any age who need home care or residential care and give them benefit information at the same time. This cuts down on the number of times a person has to provide the same financial information to different organisations.
  
  
• Listen to the needs of the customer to provide a holistic service. The Joint Team can arrange for customers to be connected to other services at their request. We work closely with the POPPS/CORA team, Adult Services, home care and residential care section and Council Tax and Housing Benefit. We also work with other partner organisations such as Age Concern Tameside, and Citizens Advice Bureau who have an interest in the well being of older people.

We aim:

• To arrange an appointment within ten working days of receipt of a referral to the Joint Team.
  
  
• To always show you an identity card when we visit customers.
  
  
• Arrange for an interpreter if customers have hearing or speech difficulties or English is not their first language.
  
  
• Return all personal documents for example birth or marriage certificates or savings books within five working days. If there is a need to keep them longer the customer will be advised of the reason.
  
  
• Respond to any correspondence within ten working days.
  
  
• Respond to any complaints within seven working days.
  
  
• Invite feedback on the service we provide.

Annual Report

Tameside Joint Team was set up in June 2004 and is now based at Ryecroft Hall in Audenshaw and at Heron House in Stockport.

The team cover benefits for anyone over the age of 60 and also complete home care assessments and residential assessments within Tameside for residents of any age.

The joint team receives its work from a variety of sources, including Warrington Pension Centre, Social Workers, Housing and Council Tax Department of Tameside
Council, Financial Assessments from the Adult Services section finance, Welfare Rights and members of the public.

The team attend information points at Age Concern (twice a week), Hyde Town Hall and Ashton Customer Services to help people claim their full entitlements.

In addition the whole team work on scans from DWP and the Local Authority as these may provide us with the means to help residents maximise their entitlements.
Regular meeting are held with Social Care staff and also the Council Tax/Housing Benefit section of the Local Authority to discuss working procedures and any
issues arising. We also attend meetings at Age Concern and at Tameside Community Legal Service Partnership to ensure that the Joint team is known in the locality.

There are many Joint Working Partnerships in existence now but many of them do not share the work as we do in Tameside, where all visiting officers complete the work between them. The existing staff provide an excellent service to the residents of Tameside due to their knowledge and skills with dealing with the older population and also younger people who need home care or residential care due to ill health.

When out on a visit the visiting officers ensure that they help the individual/carer claim their entitlement and will signpost them to other area if they are unable to help with their needs. For instance Greater Manchester Fire Service are providing fire risk checks on the homes of elderly or disabled residents and they also fit a smoke detector free of charge so with the customers permission we make a referral to the Fire Service in order that they do not miss out on this opportunity.

The Joint Team can be contacted by telephoning The Pension Service on 0845 60 60 265 Monday to Friday 8.00am to 8.00pm. If possible your enquiry will be dealt with over the telephone or a referral will be made to the Joint Team if a visit is needed. Arrangements can be made for an appointment at one of our Information Points if preferred.

Appendix 2 gives details of the number of successful claims for benefit that were achieved with the assistance of the team. These resulted in Tameside pensioners being more than £111,151 a week better off, equivalent to £5.7 million a year. The team has made a major contribution to the achievement of this year’s Local Area Agreement targets for benefit take-up.

Case Studies

Case study one

A customer and his wife were in Denton Town Centre to book a table at the local Italian restaurant. They spotted the benefit bus and spoke to a Joint team member. She recognised that both customer and wife may be entitled to Attendance Allowance. A Visiting Officer received the request and visited them shortly afterwards. The Visiting Officer completed Attendance Allowance forms for both of them.

High rate Attendance Allowance was then awarded for Mr and Mrs A. The Visiting Officer then visited them again to complete Carer’s Allowance forms and a Pension Credit application. The Visiting Officer also completed a Council Tax Benefit application, as they will be passported on to full Council Tax Benefit. They were so pleased with the service that they gave the Visiting Officer a Hyacinth!

Case study two

A Visiting Officer visited Mr B in Dukinfield on 18/07/08 as part of a “Carers Allowance scan”. This is a process by which the DWP scan their databases to identify couples over pension age, where one may be a carer. The Visiting Officer identified that Mr B could claim “underlying Carers Allowance entitlement” for looking after Mrs B, which would then increase his entitlement to Pension Credit.

Whilst there the Visiting Officer identified that Mr B himself had health problems and care needs, so the Visiting Officer completed an Attendance Allowance application for him. In anticipation of an award the Visiting Officer also completed a PC10 form as if Attendance Allowance was awarded to Mr B they would then qualify for the double rate Severe Disability Premium to be added into their Pension Credit claim. Following the Visiting Officer visit Mr and Mrs B’s Pension Credit increased from £12.57 savings credit only to Savings Credit and Guaranteed Credit of £120.66 per week, plus an award of £67.00 per week Attendance Allowance.

Also as a result of the Visiting Officer visit Housing Benefit increased by £13.74 and Council Tax Benefit increased by £3.98 per week. Meaning, following the Visiting Officer visit, Mr and Mrs B’s income increased by £192.81 per week and they were paid over £1500.00 in arrears.

Case study three

A Visiting Officer visited a customer for a benefit entitlement check. While there the Visiting Officer noticed that although he was entitled to Disability Living Allowance, the customer had not been paid since 27/12/06. The DLA unit records showed his payment was combined with Incapacity Benefit, but Incapacity Benefit stopped in December 2006. The Visiting Officer telephoned the Disability Living Allowance unit who have now reinstated payments. Arrears of £6791.75 paid 18/11/08.

Case study four

A Financial Advisor, who was trying to help a lady who had contacted him about releasing equity in her home, contacted the team.

The team arranged a home visit in October 2008 for a benefit check. The Joint Team Visiting Officer established she was entitled to a small amount of Pension Credit (savings credit), which she was extremely grateful for. At that visit the Visiting Officer also identified a need for a possible claim to Attendance Allowance. This was completed and subsequently awarded at the low rate. This then entitled her to guarantee Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit), including the Severe Disability Premium.

She received £987.01 arrears and her weekly income increased by a total of £97.45. She is also entitled to full council tax rebate. Following this increase to her weekly income she decided she did not need to release any equity in her home.

Case study five

An Visiting Officer went to visit a customer, as they were to have his Disability Living Allowance care payments reduced to middle rate care, a reduction in income of £22.15 per week, as the customer agreed that he no longer had night care needs. His wife had been awarded high rate Attendance Allowance in August, so the Visiting Officer asked if they had checked to see if they were entitled to any other benefits.

At first they were reluctant to discuss other income or capital, but eventually they agreed to disclose the information, at which point the Visiting Officer established they were entitled to full Council Tax Benefit, worth £26.30 a week, and Pension Credit of £70.14 a week, making them £83.29 a week better off in total, backdated for 3 months.

Case Study six

A Visiting Officer went to see a client to complete a financial assessment for home care charges. She found that the resident was not receiving all the benefits to which she was entitled. She spoke to the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit section and found that they had not worked out the benefit correctly due to an increase in disability for the client.

She was able to put in for a refund and the client received £3178.42 Housing Benefit backdate, £1015.71 Council Tax backdate and also an extra £1251.84 backdate for Pension Credit.

Customer Survey

In October 2008 the Joint Team carried out a customer survey to ensure that it was meeting the needs of the people of Tameside.

The customers contacted were each visited in the month of September 2008. It was felt that a fair representation of customer feeling would be obtained by issuing 101 questionnaires ensuring that each visiting officer was included and exactly the same number of questionnaires were issued for all visitors.

In the end, 101 questionnaires were issued. A copy of the covering letter and questionnaire can be found at appendix 1.

49 were returned which were fully completed and although one extra one was returned with one customer who did not complete the markings, they did add that, “Everything was satisfactory”.

Analysis of the fully completed forms shows the following results: The following results came through on scores 1 to 5 from the 49 respondents who fully completed the questionnaire: -

Many questionnaires were returned with comments which included:

“The visitor rendered an excellent service in order to help my family with matters they would have found difficult to cope with”.

“He made a good impression”.

“Thank you as all my concerns were dealt with at the visit”.

“I think I had an excellent service provided and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the lady”.

“Very happy with the service provided and the visitor was very helpful”

Appendix One - Customer Questionnaire

View the Customer Questionnaire in PDF format 31.42 KB .

Appendix Two - Monetary Value of Awards For Referrals Cleared

Monetary Value of Awards For Referrals Cleared The Period 01/04/2008 - 31/03/2009 - This Report relates to Awards Information which may not be complete until 3 months from the date Referral Cleared.

Pension Age and Working Age Referrals
For LA(s): 'Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council'

Referrals - Claims - Awards The Period 01/04/2008 - 31/03/2009
This Report relates to Awards Information which may not be complete until 3 months from the date Referral Cleared

Pension Age and Working Age Referrals
For LA(s): 'Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council'

Staff Team - April 2008 - March 2009 Tameside Joint Team

Service Unit Manager for Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council:

Contact Information
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