National Personal Budget Survey results - incontrol

National Personal Budget Survey results

 

A new social care survey of over 2,000 people released today (Wednesday 22 June) reveals that for a majority, personal budgets have a positive impact on people's lives, meaning they are supported with dignity and respect, stay independent,  in control of their support and get that support when they need it.

The National Personal Budget Survey, carried out between January and April this year, also found that people are more likely to experience better outcomes if the personal budgets process keeps people fully informed, and in control of the personal budget and how it is spent; while supporting them without undue constraint and bureaucracy, and fully involving carers.
However, the survey results also found that councils need to provide better quality systems and processes if they are to help continue to transform the lives of older and disabled adults and achieve the best results.
Undertaken for The Think Local, Act Personal Partnership by In Control and the Centre for Disability Research at Lancaster University, the survey aimed to identify the outcomes and experiences of people using personal budgets - and those of their family carers - so the adult social care sector can build on the positives and better understand what improvements are needed.
It is the biggest survey of service users and carers undertaken in England to date,   giving people a voice to share their views and experiences in their own words. The findings will help councils to re-shape their approach to social care, as informed by local people.
Other implications that can be drawn from the survey results include:

• Personal budgets work better for older people than you might expect and direct payments work just as well for older people as everyone else.
• The processes used for delivering personal budgets are more difficult than they need to be and that impacts badly on carers and on personal budget recipients.
• More work needs to be done to make direct payments more accessible generally but especially to older people.
• There is a need to simplify and clarify the rules and regulations surrounding personal budgets.

The current Coalition government has said it is committed to ensuring personal budgets are available to all recipients of ongoing state funded social care by 2013 as a response to rising public expectations of choice and quality and increasing demand.
Every year nearly one and a half million people in England look to their local authority for personal care and support due to their age or disability.  Almost 6 million adults in the UK are believed to spend time caring for disabled or older family members.
The Think Local, Act Personal Partnership Chairs Miranda Wixon and Richard Jones said in a joint statement:
"There can now be no doubt that for the most people, personal budgets can and do work, particularly as direct payments and especially when implemented well by councils.  At the same time, continuing and urgent action is needed to ensure all can benefit - wherever you live and whatever your needs - and that expensive and restrictive processes are streamlined to improve experiences and efficiencies.
"The right information, advice and support, alongside quality relationships and communication between people and social care staff through training and information sharing are crucial ingredients for making this happen.  There is work still to be done on developing local provider markets, including very small voluntary and community sector organisations, user-led organisations and social enterprises, so people have a choice about how to manage and spend their budget.
"The current situation is very challenging, given significant financial pressures. However, this makes effective delivery of personal budgets even more important - use of resources must be optimised to improve outcomes, choice and control."
In Control Chief Executive Julie Stansfield said:
"These findings show the huge potential for personal budgets but they also signal a warning that they will only make a difference to people's lives if implemented by councils in the right way and if this doesn't simply become a 'box-ticking' exercise.  The report shows a big gap in progress that authorities are making, and people's experiences of the processes and the support they receive from their council varies widely with many reporting 'difficulties'.  With council's expected to have 100% of people on personal budgets by 2013 it's critical that they take the opportunity to review their progress to date, build on the positives, and identify ways to make improvements."
Chris Hatton, Professor of Psychology, Health and Social Care, Lancaster University, said:
"The results of this survey clearly show that councils can routinely deliver personal budgets that work well for everyone. If councils keep to the principles of self-directed support, people using personal budgets and their family carers report real positive changes in their lives. People also need supportive local communities, meaningful access to the full range of community facilities available to everyone else, and a range of local services that will deliver the support people want, when and where they want it."
The full report and a summary can be downloaded below.
More information on POET can be found here.

Downloads

• National Personal Budget Survey Summary Findings
• National Personal Budget Survey Report