WELCOME TO THE MARCH 2021 SPRING DIRECT PAYMENT NEWSLETTER

In this Newsletter there is some really important issues for you to be aware of 

• Recent direct payment launch event
• Vaccinations and rapid tests
• New rates for April 1^st2021 
• Furlough
• A personal story

Feedback on Direct Payment launch event ‘You said We did’

We held two virtual events last week. We invited you to attend to tell you about the changes we have been working on together with experts by experience (direct payment users and their family members). After some IT hitches on the first day, we explained what we have been doing since the direct payment workshops in 2019; how your views and experiences have influenced direct payments in Shropshire and that it’s a new start and there’s more work to do. 

The highlights were: 

• We have a new vision (see above)
• We launched a new policy which is available at https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/shropshire-choices/money-matters/what-is-a-personal-budget/direct-payments/ 

• Our finance check-up letters have been rewritten to be more friendly
• We will soon have Welcome Packs for all new DP users and current DP recipients can request one
• We discussed what we are doing with helping people to recruit Personal Assistants (PAs), including trialling a PA recruitment site
• We are still working on building a new DP webpage. We really would welcome your views. If you are interested, please let us know on payments@shropshire.gov.uk

If people want to see the PowerPoint from the event, please email us at above address. 

COVID vaccinations and tests

All Personal Assistants (PAs) are now able to access regular testing whether it’s lateral flow tests at the local testing sites or home tests.  

Home Tests 

PAs who work in England, are employed or self-employed and are required to come within 2 metres of an adult they support, are eligible to order test kits every 28 days. You can find full guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-personal-assistants  

If preferred, an employer can order test kits for their PAs and four tests will be delivered for each PA for a 28 day testing cycle. Please note that the test kits can’t be posted through a letterbox so someone will need to be available to accept delivery. 

Every 7 days a PA should take a test, register it online, and return it by post (using a Royal Mail priority post box). PAs will receive their results in 48 hours by email and text message (SMS). 

Vaccinations

If you are an informal or family carer you can get a vaccination on the national booking site (see below) for more information, please see https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/shropshire-choices/caring-for-someone-else/information-for-carers-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/  Many PAs are also able to get vaccinations. To be eligible for vaccination in the national priority group two, PAs need to be supporting someone who:

• is clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19, and/or
• has a defined underlying health condition leading to greater risk of disease or mortality from COVID-19, and/or
• is of advanced age (85+).

If you are an informal/family carer or your PA can book on the national booking site on  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/ 

For the most up to date information you can check: 

https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/coronavirus/information-for-social-care-services/advice-for-direct-payments or call the First Point of Contact on 03456789044  

Hourly rate increase for new financial year

From April 1^st, 2021 the National Living Wage for employees over 23 will be £8.91 an hour.  Shropshire Council will increase the current standard Personal Assistant hourly rate for daytime support from £9.30 an hour to £9.60. This will mean that you will get an increase in the Direct Payment rate to £11.26 to include on-costs for holiday and pension from April 1^st, 2021.  

We will write to all Direct Payment employers separately to provide further details regarding rates for night-time support.  

Furlough

The Government gave local authorities additional funding to support them in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. This funding was not ringfenced and was intended to help local authorities address any pressures they were facing in response the Covid-19 pandemic, across all service areas.  Local Government Association wrote: “Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that grant funding is continuing, we expect employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion – and correspondingly not furlough them. This also applies to non-public sector employers who receive public grant funding for staff costs.”  This applied to Direct Payment Employers and their staff.  The majority of DP employers did not furlough their staff; however we have recently been made aware that a very small number of DP employers did furlough their staff.  If you furloughed your staff and have received a ‘Furlough Payment’ from the HMRC, please contact your payroll provider and ask them to contact the HMRC to discuss further.

Jane’s story

Having a direct payment has opened up a whole new world for me.  A Personal Assistant assisting with daily life challenges (both physical and mental) has given me the confidence to believe I can do anything I put my mind to (with support).   I found myself isolated and excluded from society.  Now with support, I feel I can contribute and maintain an inclusive lifestyle, knowing I have the support from my PA and a direct payment.  The Social Care Practitioner gave me a lifeline and it meant that I avoided the depths of depression.  Nothing was too much trouble for her. I hope that others will benefit from the fantastic service direct payments has provided. I feel proud again.

This newsletter has been produced by members of the Direct Payments Board. If you would like to comment or contribute ideas or stories, then get in touch directly through
direct.payments@shropshire.gov.ukThe newsletter will be a quarterly publication.