Relatives in need of care and caring relatives can obtain information free of charge from the care advice service provided by their long-term care fund or long-term care insurance company or a long-term care support center on how the improvements can be optimally used according to the individual situation.
Thanks to the Care Strengthening Act, an additional 1.4 billion euros per year are available for care at home. All benefit amounts of the long-term care insurance will be increased. Support for family carers will be expanded through better opportunities to combine different support services, such as day and night care and short-term and respite care, and through the introduction of new relief services for those in need of care and for family carers. The law also provides for improvements of around one billion euros for those in need of care in inpatient care facilities. Here, the benefits of the long-term care insurance increase by between 41 and 77 euros per month, depending on the level of care. In addition, from 2015 the long-term care insurance will finance up to 45,000 additional nursing staff per year for inpatient care (previously: around 25,000).
The Nursing Strengthening Act also contains two regulations in the hospital sector: the statutory health insurance companies are given the opportunity to carry out model projects for risk-based screening for certain multi-resistant pathogens in the run-up to a hospital stay. In addition, the supply surcharge introduced to stabilize the financial situation of the hospitals and the additional service deduction will be extended beyond 2014. This neutralizes the burdens on hospitals caused by the so-called “double degression” and stabilizes the financial situation of the hospitals.
The Care Strengthening Act is the first of two laws that will strengthen care in Germany. With the second long-term care strengthening law, a new definition of the need for long-term care is to be introduced and implemented before the end of this election period. The scientifically supported testing of this introduction is currently under way; around 4,000 people in need of care are assessed both under the current law and under the planned new law. The results of the test will be available by the beginning of next year and can be taken into account in the context of legislation.