Personal budgets must be overhauled to ensure older people, particularly those with dementia, can benefit from them, according to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. The organisation’s concerns are set out in The Case for Tomorrow, a discussion paper on the future of older people’s services. Specific issues cited include the transfer of risk from councils to older people receiving direct payments, particularly where they employ staff as personal assistants. ADASS have called on the government to conduct a review of personal budget systems that would develop a more suitable approach for older service users.

This news item was highlighted in a recent Skills for Care news bulletin. Active independence are currently working with Skills for Care to support individual employers through all aspects of managing and supporting their Personal Assistants. In our experience assessment officers do not promote direct payments and employing personal assistants for older people preferring instead to promote the apparently safer route of a managed package using care agencies. We believe with the RIGHT SUPPORT anyone should be able to enjoy the benefits of more person centred care and support