A 'Direct Payment' is a cash payment given to you by the council to buy your own care services from the person or agency of your choice. That person can be a friend or even a relative, as long as they don't live in the same house as you.
"Life is ten times better for both of us now" says the husband of a local direct payment recipient, "and it's all thanks to direct payments".
Direct Payments is all about giving people who need care real choice about who provides that care, what they provide and when they provide it. It's available to anyone who has been assessed as being in need of community care services.
