Key Health Data for the West Midlands 2000

Chapter 2: Inequalities and Health

Contacts

Preface

Contents

List of Tables
List of Figures

Abbreviations

Main Body

1: West Midlands Geography
2: Inequalities and Health
3: The Burden of Disease
4: Communicable Disease
5: Environment and Health
6: Progress on Targets set by "Our Healthier Nation"
7: Crime and Health
8: Drug Misuse

2.1 Introduction

Deprivation is one of the most powerful determinants of health and mapping the variations can assist policy makers in formulating necessary responses. In previous Key Health Data we have reported on various deprivation indicators such as Townsend and the Index of Local Conditions, and on other routinely collected data sets on aspects like rural deprivation. In addition, ‘Key Health Data’ has reported on the responses to these inequalities across the region including Single Regeneration Budgets, Health Education and Employment Action Zones. In this Key Health Data we have included a little used but valuable data set, Benefits Claims. These data report on areas and populations that are economically deprived in terms of employment and the ability to earn, as well as those who require assistance to maintain their quality of life.

2.2 Council Tax Benefit

Type: Non-contributory. Income related. Non-taxable

There are three basic conditions for eligibility:-

• the customer must be habitually resident, and have recourse to public funds
• the customer must be liable to pay Council Tax on the property in which he is resident;
• the customer must have a low income (or in the case of a Second Adult Rebate, the second adult must have a low income).

If the customer is not receiving any other benefits, they can still claim Council Tax Benefit.

The amount of benefit depends on four things:-

• amount of money coming in;
• amount of savings; ( People who have more than £16,000 in savings will not be able to get main Council Tax Benefit)
• personal circumstances (such as having children, being disabled, who else lives in the household); and
• amount of council tax.

The maximum entitlement is 100% of the net Council Tax bill.

Figure 2.1: Claimants of Council Tax Benefit across the West Midlands by local authority as a proportions of households, 1999.

2.3 Housing Benefit

Type: Non-contributory. Income related. Non-taxable

There are four basic conditions for eligibility:-

• the customer must be habitually resident, (or be exempt from the requirement to be habitually resident);
• the customer must occupy the dwelling as their home;
• the customer must be liable to pay rent in respect of the dwelling; and
• the customer must either be entitled to Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based) or have a low income.

The benefit is awarded for a period of up to 60 weeks at a time.

Award: Depends on four things:-

• amount of money coming in;
• amount of savings;
• personal circumstances (such as having children, being disabled, who else lives in the household); and
• the eligible rent.

Figure 2.2: Claimants of Housing Benefit across the West Midlands by local authority as a proportion of households, 1999.

2.4 Income Support

Type: Non-contributory, Means tested, Taxable

Income Support can be paid to a person who

• is aged 16 or over;
• is not working 16 hours or more a week;
• has less money coming in than the law says they need to live on.

Income Support (IS) is a non-contributory benefit. From October 1996, the Jobseeker’s Allowance replaced IS for unemployed people. In general IS is now only available to people who are not required to be available for work such as pensioners, lone parents and sick and disabled people. The conditions for entitlement are in the Income Support regulations.

There are four maps illustrating both the geographical and demographic variations in claimant counts. Figure 2.3 shows the overall claimant count as a percentage of the working population. The other figures (2.4, .5, .6) show the variation with age for those aged under 20 years, the percentage of children (under 17 years) in households receiving IS and those aged over 60 years.

Figure 2.3: All claimants of Income Support across the West Midlands by ward as a proportion of population, 1999.

Figure 2.4: Claimants of Income Support aged under 20 across the West Midlands by ward as a proportion of population, 1999.

Figure 2.5: Children (aged under 17) with at least one parent in receipt of Income Support as a proportion of population, 1999.

Figure 2.6: Claimants of Income Support aged over 60 across the West Midlands by ward as a proportion of population, 1999.

2.5 Disability Living Allowance

Type: Non-contributory, Not Means tested, Non-taxable

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit for people who become disabled before the age of 65. It replaced and extended Attendance Allowance and Mobility Allowance. People who could not qualify for Mobility Allowance or Attendance Allowance can get the lower rates of Disability Living Allowance.

Disability Living Allowance is payable to people who are disabled and need help with personal care, getting around or both.

DLA consists of two components

• the care component for people who need help with personal care.
• the mobility component for people who need help with getting around.

There are three rates of the care component and two rates of the mobility component.

To get DLA the claimant must have needed help for three months (the qualifying period) and be expected to need help for at least a further six months (the prospective test). People who are not expected to live longer than six months because they have a terminal illness do not have to satisfy either the qualifying period or the prospective test. Once a claimant has been awarded DLA they will get it as long as they meet the conditions of entitlement.

Figures 2.7 and 2.8 show the percentage of the population receiving the higher rates of care and mobility components of Disability Allowance.

Figure 2.7: Claimants receiving the highest rate Care component (Disability Allowance) across the West Midlands by ward as a percentage of population, 1999.

Figure 2.8: Claimants receiving the higher rate Mobility component (Disability Allowance) across the West Midlands by ward as a percentage of population, 1999.

2.6 Attendance Allowance

Type :Non-contributory, Not means tested, Non-taxable

Attendance Allowance (AA) is a benefit for people over the age of 65 who are so severely disabled, physically or mentally, that they need a great deal of help with personal care or supervision. They could need either frequent attention coping with their bodily functions or continual supervision to stop them hurting themselves or others. This could be either during the day or at night.

If they need help both night and day they get the higher rate.

People who have a terminal illness, and are unlikely to live longer than 6 months can claim Attendance Allowance under the ‘special rules’ provisions. This means that they will automatically receive the higher rate of Attendance Allowance even if they have no care or supervision needs and without the need to satisfy the normal 6 month qualifying criteria.

People disabled before the age of 65 can claim Disability Living Allowance provided they make their claim prior to their 65th birthday. DLA was introduced in April 1992.

Figure 2.9 shows the percentage of the population who are in receipt of Attendance Allowance.

Figure 2.9: Claimants in receipt of Attendance Allowance across the West Midlands by ward as a percentage of population, 1999.

The data on benefits was kindly supplied by the Department of Social Security, Information Centre (Analytical Services Division), Benton Park View, Benton Park Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE98 1YX. Crown Copyright.

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