Can a direct payment pay for companionship?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on the council-agreed care and support plan. Whether a direct payment is awarded, and what it can be spent on, is decided by a council assessment and is never guaranteed.
If Hertfordshire County Council assesses someone as having eligible care and support needs, it works out a personal budget to meet them. The person can either let the council arrange services, or take that budget as cash and arrange support themselves. Taking the cash is called a direct payment. In Hertfordshire it usually arrives on a direct payment account card, a prepaid card that works like a debit card, and the council checks the spending itself, so there is no need for a separate bank account, no cheque book and no overdraft.
A direct payment may be used for AirCarers Companion visits only where that support is included in the person's council-agreed care and support plan and the social worker or direct payments team has confirmed it before booking or using the card. The plan is the governing document. AirCarers Companion provides companionship: conversation, company at home, outings and appointments. It does not provide washing, dressing, toileting, administering medication, any other personal care, or clinical care of any kind. Where those needs exist they should be arranged through an appropriately regulated service or, where applicable, a directly employed personal assistant, with advice from the council.
How to ask: call Hertfordshire County Council adult social services on 0300 123 4042, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm, and request a free Care Act assessment. Anyone who appears to need support can request one and you do not need a diagnosis. Mention companionship by name and ask for it to be written into the care and support plan. Where the plan includes this kind of support, families are often able to choose who visits, subject to the agreed plan and any conditions the council attaches. Ask the direct payments team to confirm the provider and the spend before booking or using the card. AirCarers Companion provides itemised invoices and receipts for every visit, which the person should keep and give to the council if asked.
Honest expectations: waiting times vary a lot, with some councils assessing within a few weeks and others taking several months. How many hours are awarded is decided by the assessment. People with savings over £23,250 are usually asked to self fund but still have the right to an assessment. If the council says no, ask for the reasons in writing and ask the council about its review or complaints route; HertsHelp or an independent advocacy service may be able to help. Lucie can explain what AirCarers Companion provides but cannot give legal or financial advice.
Another route worth checking: Attendance Allowance is paid by the DWP to people over State Pension age who need help or supervision because of a disability or illness, it is not means tested, and the rates are £76.70 a week at the lower rate and £114.60 at the higher rate. For illustration only, at our starting rate of £25 an hour that is about four and a half hours of companionship a week at the higher rate and just over three hours at the lower rate, before any other costs; the money is the recipient's to use as they choose. If you care for someone yourself you are also entitled to a carer's assessment in your own right, which may lead to support for your own eligible needs as a carer, and Carers in Hertfordshire are on 01992 586969.
Useful numbers: Hertfordshire adult social services 0300 123 4042, HertsHelp 0300 123 4044, Carers in Hertfordshire 01992 586969, Age UK Advice Line 0800 678 1602. To talk it through with Lucie, call 07455 750006 or email lucie@aircarers.co.uk.