direct payments

[chip]

As i have said in another post that i am being charged £257.01 for respite a week. This has been arranged by Social Worker. I have since found out that Direct Payments can be used for short breaks (respite) Quote : you can use your direct payments to buy the occasional short breaks if your local authority agrees that is what you need. Does anyone know about this ? Or is this another thing i havent been told by SW. It was the Social Worker who arranged and booked it. Are the Social Work just trying to take money of us?

 

[TinaT]

Hi,
My social worker is visiting me tomorrow and I will ask her about using Direct Payments to fund a short respite break as I too would be interested in knowing what the answer would be. I have a lovely worker come in three mornings each week to help with my husband's care and my only worry would be - would the care worker get any pay for the time I was using the money to pay for a respite home? If the answer is 'no' then I would feel obliged to make sure that the care worker was not out of pocket by this arrangement.

 

[jenniferpa]

Hi Chip

I don't think it means that you get more money, simply that if your are receiving direct payments then they can be used to pay for respite - it is considered a valid expense. I would be delighted to learn that I was wrong about this, but I don't think I am.

Jennifer

 

[Norman]

Following an assessment it is decided what services are needed,this is then costed and the direct payments paid to pay for these services.
If that funding is spent on respite care how can payment be made to sitters,carers or personal assistants?
Arrangments for respite care are usually made through the social worker who will then obtain the extra funding required.
Have a look at this fact sheet,I think it is a useful one
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/After_diagnosis/Sorting_out_your_money/info_directpayments.htm

Next year the rules are changing and there will be greater flexibility using direct payments,for respite care.
Hope this is helpful
Norman

 

[shauny]

Hmm Norman, yep my political masters or goblins in whitehall are certainly changing rules/regs with regard the direct payment situation. My advice Chip is to seek a urgent meeting/or telephone call with your social worker and discuss this with them. A word of advice do not leave the issue try and resolve it. Shauny.

 

[jenniferpa]

From the way I read it, the direct payment that would normally be used to pay for care workers can instead be used to pay for respite. I think the reason that respite is mentioned specifically is because normally, direct payments can't be used for permanent residential care. Also a direct payment is for the use of the disabled individual, while respite is something for the carer. I suppose that if you could persuade social services that respite was necessary for the well-being of the recipient, they could include an amount for that in the direct payment, but I'm not sure how you'd do that. What argument could you make that the respite was a necessity for the caree not just the carer?

 

[Whiskas]

What argument could you make that the respite was a necessity for the caree not just the carer?

If the Carer doesn't get respite then they will not be able to look after the person they care for at all. Then the caree would be in long term care which would cost them more than respite.

 

[jenniferpa]

Oh yes, absolutely, you're preaching to the converted here. However, would that be successful, I wonder. I'm not sure that avoidance of future care costs is part of rubtic in these cash-strapped times.

 

[Whiskas]

You are probably right but it's so short sighted isn't it. Spend money on respite now and save on future care costs seems common sense but when did that ever apply to anything to do with help for carers and carees!!

I am just starting on the direct payments journey so I'll keep you posted.

Whiskas

 

[Norman]

There are many area of direct payments which are not very clear.
The request for direct payments is supposed to be made by the AD patient!!
Not a carer,how can they when they are not aware of even their own surroundings?
It seems that it depends on the SW how this is progressed.
All should be improved when the Mental Capacity bill 2005 is in force in April 2007
Norman