Councils drag feet on direct payments

Sick and disabled people and their carers are being denied the
support they are entitled to, according to a poll by Carers
UK.

The carers’ charity found that only one in five carers said they
had been offered direct payments, despite councils being required
to offer them since April.

Chief executive Diana Whitworth said: “We are urging local
authorities to redouble their efforts to offer direct payments –
and to provide support to enable people to manage them
effectively.”

Meanwhile, research by Swansea university has found that carers of
people with mental health problems are more unhappy in their caring
role and are less likely to have their own needs assessed or be
offered a break from caring than other carers.