A direct payment is simply another way of delivering the service you have been assessed as needing and can only be used for meeting those needs.
You will have an amount of flexibility around who delivers your care, what time, and how it is carried out.
Your direct payment cannot be used for any other purpose.
Some practical examples
- You may have been assessed as needing a one hour call at lunchtime for someone to help you prepare a meal and you have employed a Personal Care Assistant. You may choose to go out for lunch occasionally instead, with the support of your carer. The direct payment is to pay for the time the carer spends with you and not for your meal, or your carer's.
The choice you will have to make is whether to pay for your meal and your carers from your personal funds, or pay for your own meal only and understand that your carer will simply accompany you but not eat with you.
- You may have been assessed as needing 1:1 support to access community activities, or just to provide a complex package of support. If you ask your carers to take you out in their own car, you should agree a rate per mile and record this on a claim form. This must be paid from your own personal funds, not from your direct payment account.
Some simple solutions
- Kirklees +1 passport allows a carer to accompany you free of charge to certain cinemas and theatres throughout Kirklees. Ask at any Kirklees Information Point for an application form.
- Agree in advance with your carer what their duties will be and make sure these are reflected in the job description.
- Take advantage of Buy One Get One Free deals in pubs and restaurants and let your carer have the free meal.
- Make sure your carer understands their role if they accompany you at a social occasion. Are they part of the group or would you prefer them to sit at another table with a book until you need assistance?
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