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Individual budgets can benefit carers, research shows

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 26 February 2009

Phil Hope hails encouraging results of new research

Individual budgets can greatly improve carers' quality of life when compared with carers of people using conventional social services, new independent research has shown. They can allow carers more control and flexibility in their daily routines, and some carers said individual budgets also improved quality of life for the person they were looking after.

Individual budgets are an alternative way of paying for social care. Instead of local authorities buying services on behalf of an individual, that person is given control of their own budget and can direct how it is spent, allowing the care package to be tailored to their needs.

The research, ''The Individual Budgets Pilot Projects: Impacts and Outcomes for Carers', found that:

* Carers are more able to "engage in activities of their choice."

* IBs for service users may be cost effective for carers.

* Carers identified the benefits of IBs as including greater flexibility, choice and control. This positively affected how they spent their time, and improved the quality of life of the service user.

Further conclusions were greater opportunities for carers to help plan support for the people they care for under IBs than in conventional services. Carers of older people in particular were found to benefit in this way when the people they cared for had an IB.

However, the research also highlighted that the assessment process for service users' individual budgets can sometimes overlook the needs of carers. Local authority officers also had mixed views about paying carers from a person's individual budget.

Care Services Minister Phil Hope said:

"The six million carers in the UK are unsung heroes of our society. They are living proof that Britain is far from broken, and we must do everything we can to help them. Today's report is very encouraging. It shows that individual budgets can bring carers out of the shadows, improve their well-being and give them more control over their lives.

"Local authorities need to remember that when they assess someone for an individual budget, their carer's needs must be taken into account.

"I appreciate the mixed views and worries that exist on the issue of paying carers from individual budgets. For some people, employing close relatives might be a good solution, for others less so. Councils will need to take decisions based on the best possible advice."

"Based on the research I've seen and the opinions of services users, carers and councils, I know that individual budgets can transform lives for the better.

Carers have told me that their lives improved beyond all recognition when their loved one got choice and control over their own care. What is clear is that individual budgets need to be carefully implemented. This research, combined with the excellent report from The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Caring for Carers, will help local authorities to help more people and carers experience the benefits of individual budgets."

Hazel Hyde, whose husband Geoff has Alzheimer's and uses an individual budget, said:

"Because I can have so much help - because of Geoff's individual budget - it means that my stress levels are lower and I can keep well enough to keep looking after him."

"It used to upset me that there were so many things I couldn't do. It upset me and if I was upset, then Geoff was. The individual budget pays off because it means that both of us are happier."

Alex Fox, Director of Policy and Communications at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers said:

"The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Caring for Carers welcome the government's new research showing that individualised budgets are, overall, having a positive impact on carers' lives.

"We would agree that IBs need to be implemented properly to allow carers greater involvement in the decisions which affect their lives. However some councils are neglecting to do this. Where carers feel isolated and under-valued, care plans for very vulnerable people can break down. Neither families, nor the social care system's budgets can afford this. The UK already relies on six million of carers, increasing by 60% or 3.4 million within three decades.

"Our 'Putting People First without putting carers second' report, launched today, examines the challenges local councils and health trusts face in making 'personalisation' a reality for carers alongside those they care for. It also highlights a range of solutions that are already in place to meet those challenges."

Notes to Editors

The Government has invested £520million over the three years to 2011 for councils to transform adult social care so that it can become much more tailored to people's needs.

The team who undertook the research consisted of:

Social Policy Research Unit, University of York Personal Social Services Research Unit, University of Kent

This research is one of two reports to inform development of personal and individual budgets. The first, published on 21 October, examined the impact of IBs on service users and this one, 'The Individual Budgets Pilot Projects: Impacts and Outcomes for Carers', examined the impacts on carers.

The reports can be found here: http://www.york.ac.uk/spru and http://www.pssru.ac.uk

Putting People First Without Putting Carers Second Report

An electronic version in pdf format will also be available at http://www.carers.org/professionals/adult-carers/health-and-wellbeing,808,PP.html

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Caring for Carers are the two biggest providers of services for carers in the UK and work together at a national level to promote policies and guidance that will support carers.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is the largest provider of comprehensive carers support services in the UK. Through its unique network of 144 independently managed Carers' Centres, 85 young carers services and interactive websites (http://www.carers.org and http://www.youngcarers.net), The Trust currently provides quality information, advice and support services to almost 354,000 carers, including over 20,000 young carers.

Crossroads Caring for Carers is the largest provider of respite care amounting to 4.7million hours ever year throughout England and Wales. Running for 35 years Crossroads have unparalleled experience and expertise in providing a high level of personal care for the cared-for and vital support for the carer as well (http://www.crossroads.org.uk).