Our understanding is that, unfortunately, this is not about individual preference about whether to be funded by health or social care money because there are legislative frameworks within which the statutory agencies - health and social care, have...

Yes, this move from direct payments social care funded to Continuing Care funding is causing people distress and there are several people contacting us for information and advice.

Self-directed support is possible when people are funded by continuing health care money if the primary care trust can agree a way in which the money can be "held" on behalf of an individual, as it cannot legally yet be given directly to the perso...

NHS money cannot currently be directly paid to someone. However importantly our understanding is that this does not mean that they cannot have a personal plan and Self Directed Support.

The Department of Health's "personal health budgets -first steps" document sets out all the current options of how people can have control of resources without being paid money directly to them.

Not according to national evidence. Individuality and flexible use of money is more economically efficient and gives a higher quality of service.

It's difficult that this agenda has come out at the same time of severe cuts in services and serious economic pressures on public services.

Often with lots of questions like this it's good to then ask "well what do we do in the current situation?"

Self-directed support should allow social workers to provide more support to those individuals least able to direct their own support, and enable greater scope to work innovatively and creatively with individuals needing support.

As a local authority you should be most interested in the outcomes that people achieve - are they getting the life they have set out in their support plan?