Direct Payments in Residential Care
Surrey County Council Trailblazer
Sue Senior – Project Officer
Stella Smith – Team Manager
Adult Social Care Policy & Projects Team
February 2014
Trailblazer Project
• Surrey County Council is a trailblazer site which has been
recruited to test new Government policy
• The trailblazer sites will prepare for the introduction of Direct
Payments in care homes nationally
• Trailblazer sites are therefore providing the learning and will
contribute to future guidance which will be used upon roll-out
• All councils will be empowered to offer Direct Payments to
residents of care homes from April 2015
• Surrey County Council can offer them now – as regulations
have been changed earlier for trailblazer sites
Background - What is a Direct Payment?
• A cash payment made to individuals who have been assessed
as eligible for publicly funded care and support
• Allows people to have greater choice and control over how
their social care needs are met
• First introduced in 1997 – and the number has increased
sharply in recent years
• DPs are not currently available for people in residential and
nursing care
• National policy emphasis on Personalisation
Policy Context
“ The ability to make choices about how people live their lives should
not be restricted to those who live in their own homes. It is about
better support, more tailored to individual choices and
preferences in all care settings”
(Department of Health, 2008)
• The Care Bill (2013) -recommends that everyone should have a
personal budget as part of their care and support plan- preferably
as a Direct Payment
• A Law Commission recommendation aims to allow equal access to
Direct Payments to all recipients of care – both in their own home
and in care homes
• From April 2015, people in residential and nursing care settings will
have the right to ask for a direct payment
Trailblazer evaluation
The Department of Health is conducting an evaluation of the
Trailblazers which will look at:
• Assessing the impacts of direct payments in care homes on
residents and their families, care home providers and council
staff
• Understanding the different ways in which direct payments
are offered to residents of care homes
• To examine the challenges arising for users, carers, care home
providers and council staff
Partnership approach in Surrey
• We are currently scoping this project, and considering
how we will test this approach in Surrey
• We are looking at establishing our internal processes
with a view to offer direct payments in a small number of
care homes from Spring 2014
• We would like to work with providers to investigate the
different ways that Direct Payments could be introduced
in care homes in Surrey and come up with the solutions
together
Discussion
• How might Direct Payments in care homes work
within Surrey ?
• What particular issues and challenges do we need to
consider?