Sefton Council has pledged to sign up to the Dementia Friendly Personal Budgets Charter to help give people with dementia greater choice and control over their care and support.
The Care Act gives everyone who is receiving support from social services the legal right to a personal budget.
Alzheimer’s Society has produced a guide of easy and cost-effective actions councils can take to improve the personal budgets process for people with dementia and their careers. Sefton Council has signed up to the Dementia-Friendly Personal Budgets Charter to demonstrate its commitment to supporting people affected by dementia.
Councillor Paul Cummins, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Sefton Council, said:
“Personal budgets not only give people choice over the care they need, but also enable support to be delivered in innovative and cost-effective ways.
“Sefton Council is pleased to sign up to Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friendly Personal Budgets Charter to show our commitment towards making personal budgets more accessible to our residents living with dementia.”
Ian McCreath, Personal Choice Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said:
“Personal budgets have the potential to give much needed choice and control to people with dementia. Our research has uncovered a worrying situation for people with dementia when trying to obtain a budget so it is really encouraging to see Sefton Council signing up to The Dementia-Friendly Personal Budgets Charter. Hopefully it will encourage other local authorities to follow suit and support more people with dementia to live better lives.”
Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friendly Personal Budgets Charter enables local authorities to demonstrate their commitment to people with dementia. Pledges include:
- Producing relevant and clear information on personal budgets for people with dementia that always explain all the available options and methods for receiving a personal budget
- Training all staff involved in care and support planning in the personalisation agenda to ensure accurate and appropriate information is provided at all times
- Having a timely and transparent assessment process that clearly explains how they have decided on the amount of money a person will receive
- Collecting robust data on the uptake and outcomes of personal budgets for people with dementia so that services are continuously improved
Alzheimer’s Society launched the Dementia Friendly Personal Budgets charter at the National Children’s and Adults’ Services Conference 2016 and is calling on local authorities to sign up at www.alzheimers.org.uk/personalbudgetscharter
