Local Authorities urged to make personal budgets dementia friendly
Deep-seated misconception of personal budgets and dementia is preventing local authorities from delivering person-centred care.
Alzheimer’s Society is calling on all local authorities in England to urgently break down the barriers preventing people with dementia accessing personal budgets.
Fewer than a third of people receiving social care support for problems with memory and cognition have a personal budget, despite the government’s aspirations for a person-centred care and support system. The Care Act gives everyone who is receiving support from social services the legal right to a personal budget, offering them greater choice and control over their care and support.
Commenting on the benefits of personal budgets for people with dementia, George McNamara, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Society, said:
'Personal budgets are essential to delivering person-centred care, giving people with dementia choice and control over the care and support they receive.
'People with dementia and their families tell us of the very real impact personal budgets have had on their lives – from the 85-year old woman who returned home after being left alone in her care home room each day with no way of communicating, to the husband and wife who are now able to go dancing in Blackpool dancehall each week.'
- Producing relevant and clear information on personal budgets for people with dementia that always explain all the available options and methods for receiving a personal budget
- Training all staff involved in care and support planning in the personalisation agenda to ensure accurate and appropriate information is provided at all times
- Having a timely and transparent assessment process that clearly explains how they have decided on the amount of money a person will receive
- Collecting robust data on the uptake and outcomes of personal budgets for people with dementia so that services are continuously improved
George McNamara added:
'This deep-seated misunderstanding – that personal budgets aren’t appropriate for people with dementia – is preventing local authorities from truly delivering person-centred care. Of the few people with dementia who have a personal budget, fewer still receive direct payments – the vast majority have their payments managed by their local authority, meaning their choice of care provider is limited to those on an approved list.
'We need a sea change in the way local authorities provide personal budgets for people with dementia, from providing clear and accessible information to training staff to better understand how person budgets can work for people with dementia. 'Alzheimer’s Society’s guide provides easy and cost-effective ways to break down the barriers preventing people with dementia accessing personal budgets. Today, we’re urging all local authorities to demonstrate their commitment to making personal budgets dementia-friendly by signing the charter.'
Alzheimer’s Society will launch the Dementia Friendly Personal Budgets charter at the National Children’s and Adults’ Services Conference 2016 and is calling on local authorities to sign up.
Councillor Muriel Weisz, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Adult Social Care and Health Committee, said:
'The use of personal budgets and direct payments for people with dementia had been recognised as a particular challenge for local authorities.
'However, this project has shown that personal budgets can work well to divert and delay admission into long-term care, deliver good outcomes for people with dementia and are cost effective when combined with support from carers.'