Vision Statement
by Rebecca - November 21, 2008 – 12:24 pmThe vision statement for Self Directed Support is:
We will place citizens of Nottinghamshire at the heart of a reformed social care system which will enable them to have greater choice and control over their lives.
We believe that every individual should be able to:
- Live as independently as possible
- Make their own choices to achieve their personal goals and aspirations
- Take appropriate risks
- Live their lives free from abuse and neglect
- Maximise their health and well-being.
We will work in partnership with service users, carers and other involved agencies to ensure that high quality and personally tailored services are delivered by putting the individual at the heart of their assessment experience and the introduction of Personal Budgets.
We believe that this will offer people more choice, flexibility and control in achieving their desired outcomes.
We welcome your comments or queries.
Putting People First team
12 comments on Vision Statement
It reads like a Council statement!
Who is the ‘we’ continually referred to?
Third sentence (we will work’) is far too long.
Lots of unplain language.
It doesn’t inspre me which I think a ‘vision’ should do.
Also, it is different from the one on the PPF webpages. Which is the one people are meant to be commenting on?
Toodle pip
Michael
By Michael Timmins: on 5 Dec 2008
I’m not interested in your ‘vision’. I want to know what you are going to change in practical terms.
I attended the ‘event’ in Mansfield on 9th December and I still do not know what a ‘Personal Budget’ will do for me that my existing direct payments package does not.
Here is a suggestion for you -
LIST what people can do with a direct payment sum and then LIST what people can do with a personal budget. Then we will be able to compare the practical differences and make informed choices.
And please make sure your answer (if any) is easily and obviously available to everyone who accesses this site.
I wait with interest…..
Sylvia
By Sylvia Coles: on 20 Dec 2008
Thanks for your comments, Michael. Your views will be included as part of our consultation, and you will be able to see and comment on any changes that are made on this blog and on the Putting People First pages of the Nottinghamshire County Council website at http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/social_care/puttingpeoplefirst.htm.
Putting People First Team
By Rebecca: on 13 Jan 2009
Putting People First Team response to comment from Sylvia Coles:
Thank you for your comments, Sylvia. You make an important point on the difference between a Personal Budget and direct payments. This is something lots of people have asked about.
At the moment people who are eligible for social care either
· receive services and do not know how much it costs
or
· have a direct payment and will know how much the direct payment is. However, this may not be the total cost of all their services.
From October 2010, service users will receive a Personal Budget. This means people will know up front how much money they are entitled to, and will be in control of how that money is spent. The Personal Budget will be the total cost of all social care services that a person is assessed as needing.
People will then choose how they want to receive this budget. You can have it as:
· a direct payment - this means the money is given directly to you to manage yourself
or
· the money can be managed on your behalf
or
· you can have some of your budget as a direct payment (which you manage) and have the rest of it managed on your behalf
One of the really positive things about having a Personal Budget is that by knowing how much money you are entitled to, you can plan how you are going to use that money to meet your needs and outcomes.
I can understand why you want a list of what you will be able to purchase, in the future, with a Personal Budget. However, what people choose to purchase will be as varied as the individual themselves. Adult Social Care and Health will consider all proposals people make on how the budget is spent. We will look to offer some guidance around this, but broadly we know that the activity or service must:
· meet the agreed needs or ‘outcomes’ and
· be safe and legal and
· be affordable and realistic.
Hopefully this makes things a bit clearer, but if users have any other queries or comments, we will be very happy to hear from you.
Putting People First Team
By Rebecca: on 16 Jan 2009
When you say ” managed on your behalf” what EXACTLY does this mean?
By Andy McCann: on 21 Jan 2009
Andy,
We are looking at various options for how the money from your Personal Budget can be managed on your behalf. It may mean that the budget is managed:
- by the Adult Social Care and Health Department of the Local Authority
or
- by an independent organisation (e.g. a broker)
or
- by a voluntary organisation
or
- by a family member or friend
Once we have a clearer idea of how this would work best, we will post further information.
Regards
Putting People First Team
By Rebecca: on 23 Jan 2009
So if the personal budget is going to meet all my agreed needs (& outcomes), does this mean, for example, that any equipment currently provided on loan via the County’s OT service will no longer be provided this way, and that I will have to buy it and you will provide the money for this?
If this is what will happen, will means testing also apply to such things?
Another comment - only 3 people have contributed to this forum. How have you advertised its existence? I came across it purely by chance. I have not received anything in writing e.g. a flyer with my notification of my direct payment sum being paid to my bank.
By Sylvia Coles: on 25 Jan 2009
We know that often people would like one pot of funding regardless of where the money comes from, but the first phase of the project needs to focus just on social care funding so we can get this bit right. As the equipment store is funded from several different funding streams, e.g. Health, Social Care, County, City, Children’s and Adult services, we cannot add the equipment funding into Personal Budgets at the moment. However, we may well do so in the future. So, in terms of your question, the system for loaning equipment will stay as it is at present. However, there is an Occupational Therapy review underway which will look at these issues.
Means testing and charging for personal budgets is also a difficult issue because, as you rightly point out, some services are charged and others are not. We have accountants working on these issues but we have a long way to go before we have all the answers.
The blog has only recently been developed, and we wanted to make sure that we had the resource to maintain it and respond to queries promptly before we actually advertised it to users. A link to the blog is now available on the Putting People First pages of the Nottinghamshire County Council website, which will hopefully mean that more people become aware of it. We are looking at the best ways of bringing it to people’s attention so that we can find out what comments and concerns need to be addressed.
Thanks for your interest and comments.
Putting People First Team
By Rebecca: on 30 Jan 2009
Why can’t there be some cohesion between Health and Social Care!?!? I’ve currently been told I’m 50% NHS Continuing Care funded and 50% Social Care.
Can I use a PB?
WHY MUST I use the same ‘agency’ for my Direct Payments part of the ‘care package’?
Why can’t I use the health budget more flexibly - why do I have to use the agency which is ‘foisted’ upon me??
Will I be able to specifically have one/two carers or, if it’s an agency, will I be in the situation where I’m having whoever, whenever from an agency and no continuity of care and having to waste valuable energy telling a new person how to do things so I’m not hurt (or more specifically how NOT to do things).
Where is the clarity?
I MUST have flexibility.
Why can’t I have more say in my own care???
I NEED to be able to have PAs who can travel as I need to escape my life - I need to meet up with old Uni friends (who mostly live in London).
I need a ‘holiday’ - I really need to get away. I’ve been ’shut in’ because of the health problems of my carer (mother) and her responsibilities for caring for my father.
I must have someone who can drive (and has a clean driving licence) - is there provision for this?
I really can’t have someone too old or too young - what are the provisions for this? (I need to have someone I can relate to - **some text has been removed in accordance with Nottinghamshire County Council’s equalities policy**)
Are there any facilities for getting some money for equipment - I need a workable electric profiling bed (which would also help a PA) but can’t use the ones available on loan from the District Nursing service as they are only 800mm wide but I need a 900mm(3ft) wide bed because of needing space to turn over etc. I also need battery back-up having had power failure where the low-air-loss mattress ‘bottomed out’ so I was sat on the mattress base. I could not even get out of my current bed (which has no side-rails) because it was stuck in the ‘profiled’ position. How can I get help towards a suitable bed with suitable side-rails etc? The loan equipment isn’t suitable!
Can I get help to get suitable heating in my ‘housing association’ property - I’ve got storage heaters (and cannot use the bedroom one because there is not enough room between it and the bed for my wheelchair without the wheelchair being up against the heater and the bed) plus I’ve got no heating in the kitchen and an oil-filled ‘towel rail’ (which is either ‘on’ or ‘off’ - no thermostat or anything), a plug in heater in the hallway and a plug in heater in the bedroom (with the storage heater in the living room). I cannot afford the bills (£400 the past quarter). I need controllable heating because of my multiple disabilities and health needs. Having seen the DVD where someone used a PB to pay for Air Conditioning - could I use it to get some decent controllable heating so I don’t freeze like I have been doing?
I gather there is going to be a ’specific conditions’ trial of combining NHS Continuing Care and PBs - why can’t it be a mixed trial? Surely having a mixture of people with different disabilities/conditions/diagnoses would give a better idea of if/how things could/would work as there are needs as varied as the individuals. (I want ‘in’ - I want to be able to have the flexibility for example to use some money to pay for a holiday and take a friend as a PA/carer for a week. It sounds as if what I am being ‘given’ won’t allow me to do this as I will have to use the agency I’m TOLD to use.)
By Cat: on 17 Feb 2009
Do we know how ILF will fit into the individual budget yet? And if it does will ACFS default to the means testing financial assessment conducted by ILF, as it currently is under direct payments?
By Paul Cohead: on 19 Feb 2009
Paul,
An individual budget would be made up of different funding streams including ILF (Independent Living Fund). In Nottinghamshire we are currently looking at having Personal Budgets made up of social care funding only (not individual budgets). We will help anyone who we think might be eligible to apply to the ILF.
In answer to your question, ILF will not fit into the Personal Budget. Indications from some of the pilot sites where they did include ILF into their individual budgets are that the ILF means testing would overide ASCH means testing, as it does now i.e. you would pay the ILF contribution only.
I hope this addresses your query.
Putting People First Team
By Rebecca: on 19 Feb 2009
Putting People First Team response to comment from Cat:
Personal Budgets will be in place in Nottinghamshire from October 2010. For now, Personal Budgets will only be available for social care and not health care funding.
We know that in an ideal world there would be just one pot of money. But there are lots of barriers to putting health and social care funding together, including current legislation.
What we do try to do is to work together and find ways to ensure the person who uses both health and social care can have more choice and control. You do need to speak to health (with your social worker) to find out what flexibility you can have with your health funding.
We do have a pilot with health to work towards personal health budgets, but you are right, the pilot’s focus is long-term neurological conditions and this was the basis the pilot was accepted on. We will be having more trials about using social care funding for a personal budget and if you want to find out more then get in touch with us at selfdirectedsupport@nottscc.gov.uk
Personal Budgets do give flexibility and control, but direct payments do too – and they are available right now.
You can employ a Personal Assistant (PA) if you think that is right for you and your circumstances. You said that you “must have flexibility” and ask “why can’t I have more say in my own care?” Personal Budgets (PBs) will give you both flexibility and control. For example, you say that you need to have a PA who can travel, who can drive. You can include those requirements in the job description and adverts for a PA. Although you will be able to get help with employing a PA (if you want it), you will stay in control.
You included questions about:
·Direct Payments - you need to talk to your Social Worker or Community Care Officer about using your Direct Payment. If you want some support and assistance in employing a PA using a Direct Payment then contact the Rowan Organisation. Website: http://www.therowan.org
·Equipment - you need to talk to your District Nurse about your health needs or your local Occupational Therapist about aids and adaptations.
·Housing - you need to discuss this with your housing association directly.
We hope that this information has been useful and made things clearer for you. If you feel that you need to contact us directly to answer more queries, you can email us at selfdirectedsupport@nottscc.gov.uk.
Putting People First Team
By Rebecca: on 10 Mar 2009