The Lead Commissioner, Integrated Services presented the report of the Director of Care and Place. The report advised Members that it was a statutory duty as defined by the Care Act 2014 to offer a person a Direct Payment as a cash alternative to a directly commissioned care and support service where a person has been assessed as having eligible needs. This applied both to carers and people in need of care and support. The Children Act also placed a duty on Local Authorities to offer a Direct Payment to disabled children.

The report detailed the outcome of a review previously agreed by Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee  in March 2022 where it was noted that the number of people and carers in receipt of a Direct Payment was relatively low. The review had been a collaborative exercise and included, as equal partners, officers of the Council, people with lived experience, voluntary sector providers and representatives from Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) and the Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (WCHCFT).

The Lead Commissioner, Integrated Services advised Members that there are 2795 people eligible for social care in Wirral and out of this number 535 are in receipt of direct payment and noted that it is essential that that position change. Several examples were given to the Committee to explain how transformative this service can be to people’s lives.

Members queried the possible introduction of a qualification for carers and personal assistants with a high level of skill, and how this could attract a higher rate of pay, collaboration with Children’s services over transition and the use of a register of available support for service users.

Resolved – That,

(1). Direct Payment hourly rates for Personal Assistants for adults be aligned to that of a Domiciliary Care Worker from April 2023 be approved.

(2). Work commences towards reconciling the Direct Payment hourly rates for adults and children.

(3). A future report be brought to this committee exploring the options of either providing,

(A) A Council Coordinated Personal Assistant register

(B) Tendering for a full Direct Payment Service to include a Personal Assistant Register, Payroll, a Managed Accounts Service and Information and Advice