This section contains advice for those who receive part or all of their Personal Budget as a Direct Payment.
What are Direct Payments?
With Direct Payments Solihull NHS Care Trust can give you money to buy the support you need. You buy your own services instead of Solihull NHS Care Trust arranging them for you. Direct Payments can help you be more independent. This means having control over your life, making your own choices and doing things for yourself.
Who can receive Direct Payments?
Direct Payments can only be provided to people who have been assessed as needing support by your social worker.
Direct Payments can be made available to people with a physical, sensory or learning disability, people with mental health problems, people over 65 years of age, and carers over 16 in respect of carer services. Direct Payments can also be made to meet the assessed social care costs for children and young people with disabilities.
In order to get Direct Payments you must both want to use Direct Payments and you must also be able to use them (with or without help).
If you have been assessed as needing services and would like to receive Direct Payments please contact the relevant social worker.
What can you spend your Direct Payments on?
You can use your Direct Payments to buy support that meets the needs identified during the assessment. You choose what that support is, who provides it and when. You can use direct payment for personal care and support to help you live in your own home. You can recruit a personal assistant to support you to do different activities. Direct Payments can be used to support a short break at home or somewhere else. If you are a carer, you can buy those services identified in your Carers Assessment. You cannot use Direct Payments to buy any other services not in your care plan, or any other services provided by Solihull NHS Care Trust or Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
Who can I buy my service from?
You can employ your own staff or purchase your care from an agency. The level of payment you receive should be sufficient to do this. You cannot buy services directly from Solihull Care Trust or Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council for or from relatives who live with you.
How much would I get?
This will depend on your assessed needs. You may be required to contribute towards the cost of your care. Anything you are required to pay would be deducted from your Direct Payments.
How do I get the money?
You will need to open a separate bank account to have the money paid into, and keep careful records of how you spend your Direct Payments.
Support in managing Direct Payments
Using Direct Payments does mean taking on the responsibilities of managing your own care and may include becoming an employer. You do not need to be able to manage the Direct Payments on your own but you do need to be able to control how the money is spent. Support is available, and may come from:
- Friends or family, if you wish
- Our contracted support organization
How does Direct Payments fit with the benefits system?
Direct Payments are not benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions. This means Direct Payments will not affect any benefits you already get.
Further advice and help
For further advice and help with Direct Payments, please contact your social worker.
You might also want to visit the Department of Health website www.dh.gov.uk
'Being the Boss' is a website that has been set up to provide peer support and advice for those using their Direct Payment to employ a PA (Personal Assistant).
In-Control- a wealth of information on Personal Budgets and Direct Payments