Hours spent caring - what counts towards them?

Hello,

I’ve had a look at the regulations cited in CPAG handbook and can’t see anything there to confirm so just want to check -

In relation to the 35 hours (or 20 for carers credits) spent ‘regularly and substantially’ caring for UC and CA, can hours not actually spent with the cared for person count? I get the impression it has to be time actually spent in the presence of the cared for person, or preparing a visit or cleaning up after a visit according to CPAG p. 559.

I have a carer who ‘cares’ for 20 hours but around 4 or 5 of those weekly hours are spent doing shopping, making phone calls to the person to check on them and see if they are alright and generally doing tasks not in the same location as them. I am checking if she could claim Carers Credits. 

Thanks

https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/pdfs/cg_2015/CG_0006_1990.pdf

this is the decision referred to in cpag and it does include shopping

Vonny - 27 February 2020 03:02 PM

https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/pdfs/cg_2015/CG_0006_1990.pdf

this is the decision referred to in cpag and it does include shopping

Can I just say that I love this turn of phrase by Commissioner Morcom:

“...enabled the issues to be fully ventilated.”

I’m definitely going to need to find a way to work the phrase “fully ventilated” into my vernacular.

Thanks. If shopping can count then hopefully making phone calls to a person can also count as caring. Although they aren’t specifically tied to visiting the person or the person visiting the carer.

CG/012/91 puts it like this:

Now while there is nothing in section 37 of the Act or regulation 4 of the Invalid Care Allowance Regulations which expressly requires that the 35 hours must all be spent in supplying the attention or supervision required by section 35 for an award of attendance allowance I take the view that the close association between invalid care allowance and attendance allowance (or other benefits which involve constant attendance) suggests that “engaged in caring” pre-supposes the more or less continuous physical presence of the person cared for. I would accept that time spent in shopping for that person or organising his affairs would count; and it may be that a claimant continues to be engaged in caring even where e.g. the person cared for is for some hours elsewhere on occasions for treatment or other care; however in my view, a person is not “regularly and substantially engaged in caring” when the other person is not from day to day available to be cared for

Very helpful thanks Jon