Direct Payments

snailpace

I was just wondering if anyone here has applied for Direct Payments. My nephew has suggested to apply for it, as the my hospital specialist has said I need more than the 2 hours that I pay for myself.

woodbine

some info in the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-direct-payments

snailpace

@woodbine thank you 

MarkM88

snailpace said:

@woodbine thank you 

You cant just apply though, you will need a care needs assessment from your local authority and be assessed to needing the extra care first, then an option to pay for this is through direct payments. 

snailpace

@MarkN88, Thank you, I did try and contact the local authority but got a bit confused and consequently messing things up, so my nephew and his partner have told me they are going to help. I have spoke to my nephews partner today and she said she phoned the council yesterday, but she has to ring back on Monday to confirm a few things. So, I am going to wait till she gets in touch. To be honest I had never heard of direct payments.

Lisatho11987777

<moderator removed - incorrect information>

Lisatho11987777

Thst isn't strictly true you don't have to have an assessment if your self funding only if you want social services to help you pay for the care 

Cher_Alumni

Hi @snailpace

Good luck with the direct payment process.  This NHS 'Paying for your own care - self funding' webpage advises that people should self fund only if the following criteria apply:

• you have savings worth more than £23,250

• you own your own property (this only applies if you're moving into a care home)

If the above criteria doesn't apply then the council may pay for your care (with one option being direct payments) - see this NHS webpage about 'When the council might pay for your care' for more details. 

A needs assessment is free to ask for either way and is useful for having your care needs identified, so it might be something you want to consider to ensure your support needs will be fully met.  

To talk to someone over the phone more about needs assessments, you can call:

• your local council’s social services department
• Scope's free helpline on 0808 800 3333 which is open between Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 6pm. And most bank holidays.

I understand it's a tad confusing to say the least(!) so I'm pleased you have your nephew and his girlfriend for support.  Please let us know how you get on.

MarkM88

lisathomas50 said:

Thst isn't strictly true you don't have to have an assessment if your self funding only if you want social services to help you pay for the care 

I think your mixing two things up Lisa. Direct payments is a process designed so that if you are assessed at needing care and would prefer to buy this yourself, you receive the money via direct payments. 

If your self funding, you wont be using direct payments, you would just be paying the care company/Carer directly from your own funds. 

See link already provided - https://www.gov.uk/apply-direct-payments

It clearly states the criteria at the bottom of the page. 

Edit - also as you mentioned, you pay the council, this is detailed on the other link provided - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/money-work-and-benefits/paying-for-your-own-care-self-funding/ - however that is not known as direct payments. 

Direct payments also detailed here - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales/family/looking-after-people/direct-payments-w/direct-payments-what-are-they-w/

snailpace

@Cher_Scope, thank you for your reply, I get very confused with things like this and usually just give up and think it’s not worth th the hassle. But my nephew and partner has advised I stick at it a bit longer. She is phoning someone tomorrow and she will speak to me and explain things more clearly. They both have said not to worry about the form as they will help me fill that in too after they have made the call tomorrow. Thankyou for your reply. I will let you know how I get on.

Cher_Alumni

Hi @snailpace I'm just checking in to see how your nephew's partner got on with the call.  I hope you've made some progress and have better understanding now

@lisathomas50 I've removed an earlier comment of yours as it contained misinformation about what Direct Payments are. 

Direct Payments are sent from local authorities directly to the individual (or someone they've nominated), to give autonomy to the disabled person to pay for, and manage, care themselves where they have been assessed as having specific needs.  @MarkN88 has signposted to relevant webpages about Direct Payments above which I hope clarify this further.

As a reminder, please ensure information you provide on the community is factually robust before posting - in line with our community house rules.  To help with this, please double check information cited against official sources and include links to references where possible. 

Thank you.

snailpace

@Cher_Scope, Hi, thank you for your message. My nephews partner sent a message saying she had to ring again last Monday. Then, I received another message on Monday saying to send the form to her. So, I had my support worker post it last Monday, then I had a message yesterday saying they had received it and to give it a couple of days for her to go through it and she wanted to make another phone call to confirm a few things. So, I’m just waiting now for either a call or message off my nephews partner. My support worker said she reckons I should get some hours. I’m not 100% but been told to think positive. I will keep you updated when I know anything more.