Adults and Communities Budget Consultation - Community Offer: our proposals to support residents to live independently at home

We asked

We asked what residents thought of our proposals for supporting people at home, including:

• Increasing use of technology and equipment in the home, short-term enablement support, and support for family carers.
• Increasing the use of Direct Payments so people can arrange their own support.
• Looking at how someone's independence can be maximised when they have their Annual Review
• Changing the way respite is provided to people who care for a friend or relative.

You said

You generally agreed with the proposal to look at new ways to support people in their homes. However, you said it was important that individual circumstances be considered to avoid people feeling isolated. Community facilities should be accessible to all. You said that some people may need extra help to manage Direct Payments, and to understand how they can be used. You also said that where respite was concerned, the needs of the carer should be considered on an individual basis.

We did

We will take into account the concerns you raised when implementing the proposals, and we have a legal duty to assess people's needs on an individual basis.

We will be re-establishing a Forum for Direct Payment Users and Carers to support them with using Direct Payments. We will also be looking into ways that we can improve accessibility to community facilities for all.