Putting People First
What is 'Putting People First'
Imagine you are a disabled person. You find shopping for food on your own very difficult – but obviously you still need to eat. What’s the best solution? Would you like someone to go with you, to help get items down from the shelves? Or would you want ‘meals on wheels’ delivered? Or, then again, maybe you’d prefer to go online and get your shopping delivered straight to your door?
What suits one person, won’t necessarily work for another. ‘Putting People First’ – the name of a new directive from the Department of Health – recognises this. It sets out radical changes to the country’s social care system, based on individual choice, and the personalisation of services.
Tell me more…
Adult Social Care exists to help a range of people who need support in their everyday lives. The introduction of ‘Putting People First’ will give these people more control over the type of assistance they receive, and who they receive it from.
Imagine you need help in the mornings to get up, washed and dressed. You might want a nurse to come into your home and assist you. Or you might prefer to pay a member of your family to do it. Either way, the new system will respect your choices, and support you to get the care that is right for you.
How will it work?
Everyone will get a ‘Personal Budget.’ This is the total amount of money we will budget for your care services and support.
We will then discuss the options with you. There is a range of ways we could assist. We can:
- help you decide how to use the budget, and set up the arrangements for you
- provide you with initial information, but let you manage it from there
- leave you to organise everything yourself.
In other words, we will offer as little or as much support throughout this process as is appropriate for you.
For example you might have clear ideas about the type of personal care you need, but don’t want the responsibility of organising it yourself. This is fine and we would arrange your care for you, just as we would now. Alternatively, you might want to employ a care assistant yourself. This too would be possible under ‘Putting People First.’
How much will my budget be?
Just like at present, everyone will be assessed. We will look at a person’s needs, as well as their financial situation, and use this information to determine a fair amount.
When will ‘Putting People First’ be launched in East Sussex?
The Government laid out ‘Putting People First’ in December 2007. As a County Council we now have three years to fully implement the changes. In reality, this won’t happen overnight, but will be a gradual process.
For example, we are already taking into account the changes as we review council-run social care services. We want to be sure that our services will meet the needs and wants of local people in years to come.
We are also looking at our internal systems and processes, to make sure they can cope with the changes. Once we are sure of this, we will be in a strong position to introduce Personal Budgets.
We will run initial trials of Personal Budgets in 2009.
By 2011, we will have the system fully up and running across the county.
What impact will more choice have on the provision of traditional services, such as day centres?
We expect between 20% and 50% of people to opt out of traditional social care services. This may cause a fall in demand for some of our council-run services.
However, we work hard to make sure our services meet the needs of local people, and the general feedback we get is that people appreciate and enjoy the services we provide.
We will monitor demand closely during the roll out of Personal Budgets and may adapt our services accordingly, to ensure they continue to provide excellent care in a cost-effective manner.
We will also work with a range of other people who provide care services in both the voluntary and private sector to develop a more flexible range of services.
Isn’t this new system open to abuse?
We will put in place robust procedures to ensure that people use their Personal Budget appropriately. Just because people have greater control over their own care, this does not mean money can be misspent or wasted, and we would treat any cases of fraud very seriously.
We still have a responsibility to ensure residents receive suitable care services, according to their needs. And, we continue to have a responsibility to safeguard vulnerable people, including from potential financial exploitation. We will take all of this into account as we implement the new system.
How can I find out more?
Read the Dept of Health leaflet – Putting people first.
