Blooming disgusting imvho

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/12/07/115947/are-day-centres-outdated-in-the-personalisation-era.htm

they should be ashamed of themselves, excuse but what a bunch of bastards. hope people realise exactly who these cuts will effect/affect. it's our dear old nan's and grandad's that's who.

i'm getting more than a littel bit ****ed off withthem to be honest with you.

grrrr

Oh yes but they are "fair" cuts

....spit...

This is real Tory mentality, for those who voted Tory I'll paraphrase Greg Lake

"The treatment you get you deserve"

Now the NIMBYS crawl out of the woodwork.

Shameful treatment of the old no less, but exactly as expected.

I am on dangerous ground here as i am not really upto speed on the services day care centres provide, however, the issue seems to be that of more personal choice available to oaps with the introduction of personal budgets. That in turn removes the guarentee of a certain of income to the day care centre which gives them income uncertainty. Now it strikes me that the day care centres that offer a better range of activities will do better under this scheme than a day care centre that say only offers bingo twice a week. SO effectively the day care centres have to up their offering as oaps will migrate to other centres (where possible). A bit like what the "pathway to Opportunities" organisation is doing in the article.

This seems a fine concept in theory, however, as always we are not in a perfect world so there will envitably be closures, and if that is the case then I hope that something is done to ensure that the affected people aren't abandoned and provided with an alternative.

I actually agree with you Hammy, but this is not a new tory thing.

It was brought about by the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The closures started before Camerons lot got in.........

http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/997171/individual-budgets-cause-closure-adult-day-care-service-norfolk/

No doubt it will continue under the tories, but they are not solely to blame here.

I actually agree with you Hammy, but this is not a new tory thing.

 

It was brought about by the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

 

The closures started before Camerons lot got in.........

http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/997171/individual-budgets-cause-closure-adult-day-care-service-norfolk/

 

No doubt it will continue under the tories, but they are not solely to blame here.

i really do not put the blame at any one particular party's door. and fwiw i am coming round to the idea that i, as are most people who work within the system, are partly responsible for the so called mess and more importantly the burden of resolving it also lies with us. The problem I see every day is that the decision makers hardly ever come and speak to the people receiving their services, how on earth can someone take the swingeing cuts without having a plan for the future that does not rely almost solely with the private sector. The current level of private sector involvement is miniscule in comparison to the 'problem' that is going to be created through these measures.

Reasons given aside for a moment, it cannot escape people's attention that the most vulnerable people within society are going to be hit; people with learning disabilities, many of whom simply and literally in many cases have no voice. There will be massive pressure on advocacy projects now. Will they cope? well, they won;t without additional funding so in my professional opinion, no, they will not.

As many on here know I work in a Day Centre, one that has (as I am told) escaped closure, one of the the reasons we keep hearing from on high for certain closures is that their buildings cost way too much to maintain. Can't argue with that one little bit. However, are people aware just how much HCC has spent in the last 2 years on 'updating' HCC HQ? Not one to normally go for isolated examples, I would like to point out that our council leaders paid one contractor something in the region of a thousand pounds for a set of taps, and these very same people expect us to make the right decisions regarding how sustainable a day centre is!

Taking all this on the chin still leaves us with the problem of how those affected/effected will get to an alternative establishmant for their and their families respite? One thing I do know is that transport for people who have special needs, including an elderly person who can't manage the step on a standard bus, is currently very expensive and that's if you can find a provider in your locality.

Anyway, I am really pleased that the consultation process was proven not to have had a hidden agenda; it was never that well hidden.

that is my two-penniesworth

If there is one thing that annoys me more than anything else, its public sector waste ala the example of the taps. Now I pay my taxes and accept that I have to pay my bit and that the better I do the more I should put in, however it makes me mad when it gets frittered away. I worked damned hard to make that money in the first place so I expect people to spend it responsibly. Rant over.

As someone who works in the business, Hammy, whats your view about this personal budget scheme generally?

As someone who works in the business, Hammy, whats your view about this personal budget scheme generally?

I think that they are a long overdue modernisation of the way people receive their entitlements. Being able to pay for a product or service gives the person control and choice that many have never had previously. With support if necessary people will be able to chop and change if they aren't happy. For that reason I beleive that companies will have to work much harder that many currently do. The vast majority of people who i work with buy their 'care package' from an agency, there are some very good professional agencies about but there are also some not so good ones to put it politley. I would like to see a move toward people employing their support/care from directly; advertising, interviewing and selecting them not only based on qualification but just as importantly on compatibilty.

I suppose I am duty bound to also mention Day Centre provision. Currently when someone is assessed as requiring respite or new skills learning (ie; acquired disabilty) within a centre such as ours, the funding for thier placement is ring-fenced and paid into the centre's annual budget. If we close due to bad weather, if we close for a staff training day or if we can't pick someone up due to vehicle breakdown we still receive our budget. Now then can you imagine Tesco charging you for a delivery that they could not make to you? No, and if it happened too often for your individual tolerances you would go elsewhere for your groceries, perhapos never to return to Tesco. For want of better terminology, we have a captive audience. I should make it clear that my day Centre is an excellently run resource and given more freedom to control purchasing and recruitment I feel we could become a Centre of Excellence, seriously.

I really do hope that in the future we will be more accountable to the people who we serve. Personalised Budgets are a big move in that direction hopefully.

An important part of the new system must be that people can still buy 'in-house' services; I hear rumours that people making the change will not be allowed to purchase from their local authority and, as I say, there are some amazing people and services on offer that the private sector simply is not equipped to compete with (yet). Until that issue is resolved to my satisfaction I would advise anyone to proceed with extreme caution, vulnerable people do not by definition always know that they are vulnerable.

Well done CB, you've got me on my favourite subject but I confess to having my own agenda.

What are your thoughts and those of others on here on Personalised Budgets and what services they would like to see modernised?

Well given my limited knowledge on the subject (your above post has probably increased my knowledge fourfold!!) the personalised budget scheme makes sense on the one hand giving the control and freedom to the ultimate user of the service. The bit which I think could upset the apple cart is the removing of this ringfenced budget from the day care centres. Competition is good if it improves service offering but if it leads to mass closures and people unable to access the services then that is a bad thing.

In reference to your comments regarding in house services, then the local authorty controlled centres should compete on a equal basis to the private centres. There doesn't seem any benefit to give someone a personalised budget and let restrict how they spend it.

Well given my limited knowledge on the subject (your above post has probably increased my knowledge fourfold!!) the personalised budget scheme makes sense on the one hand giving the control and freedom to the ultimate user of the service. The bit which I think could upset the apple cart is the removing of this ringfenced budget from the day care centres. Competition is good if it improves service offering but if it leads to mass closures and people unable to access the services then that is a bad thing.

 

In reference to your comments regarding in house services, then the local authorty controlled centres should compete on a equal basis to the private centres. There doesn't seem any benefit to give someone a personalised budget and let restrict how they spend it.

As i said, this is my favourite political topic right now. I make no apology for it, but after a kind of personal epiphany (sp) earlier this year I can't help feeling glad I am alive, one thing that makes me happy is helping other people who otherwise might not, feel the same. I am by some seen as a trouble maker at work, but when I do make waves it is always well thought out and for ethical reasons.

I just saw Alister Darling saying that their is absolutely no way that the private sector can fill the chasm that is planned betweeen the able bodied and the dis-able bodied in society. That is gonna need one hell of a bridge to make that connection to society as a whole for 'these people' in the future, sad as it may sound, for however long it takes for us more fortunates to realise what we are doing to each other, it will also be on our consciences.

Go on, say something to cheer me up.

Go on, say something to cheer me up.

We are going to have a white christmas