The impact of Care Act easements in England
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Operation of Easements under the Coronavirus Act 2020 to England’s Care Act 2014
IRAS ID
295391
Contact name
Mary Baginsky
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study, funded by the NIHR School of Social Care Research, aims to explore the possible impacts of easements to the Care Act 2014 which were introduced as a permissive element of the Coronavirus Act 2020.
The Coronavirus Act became law on the 25th March 2020 to allow the government to take emergency measures to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the Act, local authorities (councils) could make significant changes to what they do under the Care Act. These ‘easements’ to certain responsibilities and duties meant that a local authority could postpone reviews, change a person’s care arrangements, or not supply care at all. The legislation aimed to help local authorities manage the pressures of the pandemic and ensure that they met people’s urgent and acute needs.
The related statutory guidance stated that local authorities should only implement easements when the social care workforce is significantly depleted or demand on social care has increased so that it is no longer possible to comply with Care Act duties. Certain local authorities implemented easements after the legislation was introduced, but there have been no studies of how this new Act has been affecting these local authorities, the people working in them and the people receiving care and support.
The purpose of our study is to understand why local authorities might, or might not have taken the decision to implement easements, what happened under the easements, and what effects these changes might have had. We want to understand the real or potential impact on people using services and carers, as well as the impact on practice and decision-making processes.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/LO/0367
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jul 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion