We're looking into personalisation come the end of the Putting People First funding this month and the roll out of personal budgets. With no more pump priming money in an era of cuts, will it be possible to meaningfully give people true choice and personal budgets that are effective, particularly among harder to reach groups such as the elderly and those with mental health issues or will it be the case that targets are made in a tickbox way without providing people with anything better?
In essence how it it going to be possible to rollout personal budgets in an effective way without any more investment?
The blogger Fighting Monsters makes the point that she was a great fan of personal budgets as they did produce great results, but now she thinks it is "even more exclusive and inequitable than the previous system," with no-one seemingly listening to concerns and criticisms, she says.She cites research published by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, which she says that key to the successful implementation of a personal budget - for older people and those with mental health problems - is information and the involvement of a professional. This same report also lays out suggestions for future improvement.
So what do people think about the future for personalisation and users of personal budgets and what is the answer to ensure that hard to reach groups are not condemned to poor outcomes and lack of choice?
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Our LA is carrying out telephone assessments in the first instance - tick box mentality, tick box staff and they are raising the threshhold for which they will consider funding. This is for the Older vulnerable adult section. For those who qualify, further assessments inevitably reduce the award amount either at that moment in time or later by the awards panel who meet once a month.
There is NO funding for anything other than essential personal care and it is the greatest confidence trick of all time going on under the mantra of personal choice and freedom.
There is [as far as this LA is concerned, at least] no margin of funding that is available to make choices since the basic personal care requirement remains just that ...a basic requirement. The notion of 'buying' in some other service/trip/outing/activity means simply that a PB holder might not actually be able to get out of bed! ..or get dressed... or wash themselves in great expectation of the 'personal choice' activity that day!
There is no funding for PA's or brokerage for those older clients that are just unable to manage their own financial affairs and compliance with employment legislation and therefore the PB becomes entirely inappropriate.
Coupled with centre closures, lack of contracting from the LA with dom care providers [who therefore will start to lose trained staff and capacity as a result], transfer of care provision out into the private sector in almost its' entirety and a general cost cutting of staff and facilities will mean the choices available will also diminish as the private sector care provision moves away from general dom care provision markets.
Further, there are NO safeguards being put into place insofar as safeguarding is concerned.. the LA just transferring all responsibility to the PB holder.
As a matter of interest, for example, a PB holder cannot directly apply for an enhanced CRB check on a prospective 'employee' or service provider.
Your question infers that it is all workable and the answer is just to find the answer...!
Well, for many [not all, I accept] older vulnerable adults a PB is just not appropriate and I see no reason why social care funded directly with dom care providers should not continue in the succesful way it has for well over 15 years and more...
Paul Burstow claims that NO LA has need to reduce their social care budget because they have and will continue to have increased funding...but it seems many LA's are using that funding to soften cuts elsewhere.....it really is disgraceful.
The short and cute answer to your question is, of course, make sure there is enough money for social care. Period.
no doubt the current economic challenge is incredibly difficult in LA's with many unpallatable decisions being taken - whilst in our area personal budgets are the default position across all groups we see different choices being taken. Having a direct payment isn't forced on anyone, a number of older people have council managed budgets and some have stayed with their existing provider - that in itself is fine - no change is a choice so lomg as we are comfortable that people say that they have been given the right infomation at the right time, understood what their choices were and feel OK with it - they also know that they can make changes if they so wish. We still feel as though there is much to do and that the worry is that now that the grant has gone support to continue on the journey will disappear - I would say that as a council we have gone too far down the road to want to turn back however I do see massive differences variations in how personalisation has been implemented so we really must have regard to focussing on counting the things that matter going forward ( heres hoping ) - it often boils down to to middle and senior managers having the right values, strong leadership through tricky water and keeping an ear to the ground.
Hope things improve for you.