A million adults to get their own social care budgets

Government promises ‘radical realignment’ as it sets out plans for divisive issue of care reform as part of ‘big society’ project

A million adults in need of social care will be given personal budgets to spend on the services they think they need by 2013, the government said today as it published its vision for reform of an issue that caused huge rows before the election.

This will be a fourfold increase on the present 213,000 people who receive such payments under measures introduced by a previous Conservative government in 1996. The NHS is also to be given £400m over the next four years to fund breaks for family carers – such as holidays or time to pursue a hobby.

The government said local councils should pay the new personal budgets directly to individuals, to allow them to tailor their own care.

The care services minister, Paul Burstow, said: “Personal budgets can make an incredible difference to people’s lives. They give people choice, control and independence. They look to people, not the state, to shape services and improve outcomes, making a reality of the ‘big society’.

“I want councils to provide everyone eligible with a personal budget by 2013.”

The announcement was part of the government’s vision for adult care, which also promises to break down barriers between health and social care funding, and to encourage care to be delivered in a partnership between individuals, communities, the voluntary sector, the NHS and councils – including wider support services such as housing.

Burstow said: “Social care is a vital service for many older, disabled and vulnerable people. It embraces the most intimate care and support for people at times of greatest need. How well we look after each other says a great deal about the strength and character of our society.

“Often people find the social care system confusing, inflexible and not suited to their needs – that’s not good enough. I want to see the vision brought into practice at a local level. Councils can offer more choice, control and flexibility over care, which is what people tell me they want.

“The coalition government is moving away from one-dimensional, like-it-or-lump-it health services to a system where the patient is in the driving seat.”

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) welcomed the changes, saying they provided a framework for “transformation” of the system. Its president, Richard Jones, said: “Adass is clear that further reform is needed to improve outcomes for people and their carers. We are committed to working with people as citizens, building on their assets and experience and providing real choice and control. We support a shift towards prevention and to enabling and encouraging community-based support.

“We want to secure a radical realignment of the way resources are used across public services, including the health service, to deliver agreed outcomes through integration and collaboration. Alongside proven partners, we are determined to help support people to stay independent and in control of their lives.”

The announcement is part of a process that will lead to a government white paper and legislation for more radical changes. A government-appointed commission is already looking at ways to better co-ordinate the £83bn on social security, £50bn on NHS care and just £8bn on social care that are spent on the elderly every year.

The most controversial area is likely to be the care of older people who cannot be looked after in their own homes. The Conservatives fought the election on a policy of unlimited care funding in return for a voluntary, one-off insurance payment of “around £8,000”. The Liberal Democrats favoured a “partnership” scheme in which the state would match individual contributions pound for pound above a universal minimum. They will regard the breaks for carers as a victory for their pre-election campaign.

Labour offered a national care service, which at first would have guaranteed free at-home care for people with the highest needs and, later, free residential care after two years in a care home. But its attempts to obtain a consensus on principles that might provide a basis for future policies were torpedoed by Conservative attacks on a “death tax”.