I am a social worker in a adult community mental health team. I have a dilemma about direct payments and their uses in mental health. I have come accross in this day and financial climate, when reviewing other social workers cases, service users who are geting direct payments for stupid things. Driving lessons, music lessons/equpment/paints/care/violens/ holidays/i;i cooks at home,,,etc these are not assessed needs but what people want and should not receive
I feel that direct payments should be for needs and not wants, as its public tax payers money, but social workers are authorising, excess hours, for dog sitting/walking/feeding? I have come across 41 hours a week commisioned for cooking meals at home and taking people for coffees etc? these in my opinion are not critical to ones living independantly.
all of my clients get DLA for mobility, this surely should be used to pay for taxis, rather than commsionined care? i feel that health managers are not safeguarding our budgets and that direct payments are good for learnign diff/physicla diff. etc, but for mental health, it is being mismanaged by workers. do any other workes have this dilemma, or is it just my own values?
kaury: I am a social worker in a adult community mental health team. I have a dilemma about direct payments and their uses in mental health. I have come accross in this day and financial climate, when reviewing other social workers cases, service users who are geting direct payments for stupid things. Driving lessons, music lessons/equpment/paints/care/violens/ holidays/i;i cooks at home,,,etc these are not assessed needs but what people want and should not receive I feel that direct payments should be for needs and not wants, as its public tax payers money, but social workers are authorising, excess hours, for dog sitting/walking/feeding? I have come across 41 hours a week commisioned for cooking meals at home and taking people for coffees etc? these in my opinion are not critical to ones living independantly. all of my clients get DLA for mobility, this surely should be used to pay for taxis, rather than commsionined care? i feel that health managers are not safeguarding our budgets and that direct payments are good for learnign diff/physicla diff. etc, but for mental health, it is being mismanaged by workers. do any other workes have this dilemma, or is it just my own values?
your the expert but to me those seem like perfectly good uses of direct payments if it helps to stabilise people and allows them to take ownership of key areas of their lives.
isnt one of the biggest enemies of mental health isolation and/ or boredom??
I completely agree, I have worked for a CMHT and yes direct payments where being used for driving lessons, piano lessons etc. I believe that this should not be the case, we pay our way as full time workers and have to pay for our own leisure etc. One guy got driving lessons, the family historically used benefits as wages, how is this system supposed empower our service users???? Especially long term benefit claiments. In addition to the above many family members are in recipt of carers allowence, I know from experience that they are not carers and are using this money to top up their benefits..........
I had direct payments until I moved to a personal budget. a long term chronic impairmentI am a W/C user and it allowed me to employ a Pa who supported me to go to social events/ computer lessons, these have meant I can now feel not so isolated as can talk to people over net,can work voluntarily within disability organisation/invovement groupsI was a nurse in LD before my disabilities I used to be appalled about their so called lives, no quality now an accquaitaice of mine has a DP and this pays for him to go on courses, his quality of life actually exists