Agenda item

This paper is to provide an update to the Committee on personal budgets within Bath and North East Somerset.

The Transformation & Strategic Planning Manager gave a presentation to the Select Committee, a copy of it can be found on their Minute Book and as an online appendix to these minutes, a summary is set out below.

What are personal budgets?

A sum of money that it has been calculated is sufficient to meet a persons’ assessed unmet eligible needs.

How can someone use a personal budget?

A personal budget can be used for a commissioned service, a direct payment or a combination of these two elements.

How many people use personal budgets?

Personal Budgets – Adults: 1569

Direct Payments – Adults (included in figures above): 513

Direct Payments – Disabled Children’s Team: 87

Councillor Paul May asked if recipients were monitored for how they spend their budget.

The Transformation & Strategic Planning Manager replied that a review on how the budget is spent will initially take place after six week. She added that following this a frequency of reviews will be determined and that at least one review will take place every twelve months.

She stated that recipients were assessed on their capacity to receive and use appropriately direct payments. An authorised person must make the request for a direct payment on behalf of the recipient if they are judged to be without capacity.

Councillor Paul May said that it looked like a very positive piece of work. He asked, with an aging population in mind if enough controls were in place.

The Transformation & Strategic Planning Manager replied that a good policy was in place.

The Director for Integrated Health & Care Commissioning added that a focus on outcomes was more achievable through personal budgets.

Councillor Geoff Ward asked if the 1,569 people mentioned were totally reliant on receiving their allocated budget.

The Transformation & Strategic Planning Manager replied that recipients could input their own money.

What happens in transition?

There are three main transition points; Children’s Social Care / Adult Social Care / Health. This can be very a difficult time and may cause uncertainty for the person concerned. The aim is for professionals to make this process as supported as possible.

Transition – Children’s to Adults Social Care

Process is centred around the child / young person.

Transitions operational group work together to agreed criteria to identify young people who may be eligible for adult social care support.

Conversations start early with the whole family, school, health professionals etc.

Start early, at age 14, with support in place by age 18.

Transition - Adult Social Care to Health

Nurse Assessor / Community Matron in the Continuing Health Care (CHC) team liaises with other teams, the person, family members and possibly refers to the GP records, and completes the Health Needs Assessment and the decision support tool.

Discussions take place with the person throughout.

Support needs agreed.

Transition – Health to Adult Social Care

Person is no longer eligible for support from health.

Letter sent to the person and adult social care.

Person advised to contact adult social care.

Health funding ends - Person given 4 weeks’ notice of end of funding.

What work is underway?

Lots of work underway – project has been ongoing for the last year.

Direct Payment Champions.

Relationships developed between lead officers across adults, children’s and health in relation to personal budgets.

Policy and support services will be all age and for both health and social care.

YCYW will help enable further join up, if not a fully integrated “pathway”.

Councillor Lin Patterson said that she was encouraged to see the work that has taken place on this project so far.

Councillor Paul May commended the very good work of the project.

The Select Committee RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.