OAPs organise own care after shake-up

Published on Tuesday 13 October 2009 10:04

HUNDREDS of elderly and disabled people have hit back against council plans to re-tender home help services – by arranging their own care instead.

It was feared the shake-up of services could see vulnerable people lose a carer they have known for years as the service is switched to a private company. But clients also have the right to take on a "direct payments scheme" which enables them to effectively become the employer of their carer.

Hundreds have taken up this option to ensure they keep the same carer, which the opposition say throws the overall council contract into chaos.

The council has admitted that a "steady and substantial increase" in the number of people seeking direct payments has occurred since the controversial plans were announced in April but that the contract was not affected.

Charities and opposition councillors said the outcry among carers and their relatives should have been heeded.

David Griffiths, the chief executive of ECAS – a city-based group supporting disabled people – said: "I'm not surprised by this at all. Continuity is key for people who are receiving sometimes very intimate levels of care.

"You are talking about people who have had the same carer for years, who know their habits and what they respond to well, and for this to change it panics people.

"Direct payments is a choice for people, but a lot of those who have signed up won't know the responsibility involved of effectively becoming an employer."

The council stressed at the time that by opening up the bidding process for those who required care it would ensure the best deal for everyone.

But busy meetings soon unearthed hundreds of people who were extremely concerned about the prospect of change.

In a briefing to councillors it is stated: "Since the tender was advertised in April, there has been a steady and substantial increase in the number of people seeking a direct payment."

Labour's health and social care spokeswoman, Cllr Lesley Hinds, said: "A lot of the people involved here have very specific needs and it's of great concern to them and their families."

A council spokesman said: "We anticipate being able to award the contracts as originally intended which will offer around 8,000 hours of care a week and deliver a good standard of service."

'We won't get right service . . we should fight all this'

JIMMY McIntosh, from Balgreen, is a long-time advocate of the direct payments system.

But he thinks the change in tendering is forcing people to make the decision, rather than it being a choice for them.

The cerebral palsy sufferer, 69, requires ongoing care for his condition, and at one point was even targeted by bullying youths because of it.

Jimmy has spent the last few months urging people to fight the re-tendering, even though he is a supporter of direct payments – but only for those prepared for it.

He said: "Under re-tendering, people will not get the right services.

"They could get agency staff who do not know what to do or what that person likes. We should fight all the way on this.

"People with learning disabilities rely on voluntary organisations to help them make friends and get out and about.

"When you bring in companies that make a profit, everybody worries that they might lose the little extra things that make a difference."