It is 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 applies both to carers and people in need of care and support. The regulations of the Children’s Act also place a duty on Local Authorities to offer a Direct Payment to disabled children.

A report was presented to Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee on the 3rd of March 2022 where it was noted the number of people and carers in receipt of a Direct Payment was relatively low. A recommendation to review and improve this position was approved, this report contains a summary of the review and describes to members the work underway to unpick the barriers it identified and to set out what we need to change.

This review has 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).