Direct Payments (full version)

Follow Bobby’s journey to find out how Direct Payments can help him take control of the support he needs. Hear about the experience of other disabled people, family carers and social workers. Learn about direct payments and the support available. This film was made in a partnership between Citizens, students and Birmingham City Council staff.

[@jmj8596]

I've been on direct payments twice ... problems I've had is getting social services to do accurate assessments ... my care plan after over 10 years still ends up being inaccurate.... always had problems with them trying to treat me like the same as old people ... I wish social services would stop trying to put people into boxes ... not everyone is the same.... what I've experienced dealing with Birmingham Adult Care has mostly been a joke ... I've had enough ... for a change it would be good to actually get the support in the way that I want it.

[@healthwatch-centralbedford3081]

Great video!

[@yoyo1425]

Great video. Direct Payments are the future. Care agencies will be extinct eventually as people have more freedom with DP's.

[@salekh01]

I just needed confirmation on few things will i be eligible to claim backdated payments because i am disabled since 2012 until now.

[@OutoftheEchoChamber]

@@salekh01No! Because you don’t actually receive money as such - like you do with welfare benefits. I’ve never seen the money which goes into a 3rd party Direct payment account (managed by a payroll company), but I know the funding goes in, which is then used to pay the staff for my son who is severely disabled (he lacks mental capacity). It’s NOT a welfare benefit, it’s NOT money which can be used for whatever you want, it’s basically a care package and the funds are used to pay for whatever has been assessed under the care plan!

[@OutoftheEchoChamber]

@@salekh01P.S. If my son didn’t have what’s referred to as “Direct Payments” (meaning we employ people to care for him in the community), then he would be in a specialist care home/institution, which costs a LOT more! In my son’s case it would cost the NHS/LA in the over a hundred thousand per year, as his care needs are very severe (he is what’s referred to as lacking mental capacity - he isn’t capable of making his own decisions due to his severe learning disabilities). We still look after him as a family, but after my husband passed away we couldn’t manage at home, so he either had to go into a specialist care home, or we use care agencies/direct payments to have carers come and provide help at home. Of course there are people who have less needs, who’s direct payments can be used to buy other services which help them to live independent lives, but in my son’s case he has what’s classed as a “severe health need”, so it’s the NHS who pays for his care costs. Other than the care agency/staff, they (the NHS/direct payments) also pay for his nappies and also the costs of the day care centre are covered by his “direct payments”. Like I said, we don’t actually see the money, it’s managed by the third party who then pay for the day care centre and services. I know I can manage the “direct payments” myself, but the headache is not worth it. It’s bad enough having to deal with the day to day issues of having carers, their rota’s, absences etc.