New legislation will better assess need
The main bulk of the Social Services Act 2011 will soon come into force.
Replacing the National Assistance Act 1951 - the Department of Health and Social Care says it will provide better clarity and flexibility to assess need.
Instead of providing services based on age, disability or illness, it's set to ensure that people are assessed according to their requirements - which they could now be charged for.
Minister Howard Quayle says that changes must be made as demand continues to grow:
Howard Quayle MHK
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio