Real Life Stories
Here people from around the county share their experiences of how they’ve taken control of their care and how Direct Payments are helping them to live a more independent life.
If you'd like to share your experiences of using Direct Payments by having your story featured on this page please contact us.
We could come and chat to you to help you put a short piece of writing together or you could write something and post or email it to us. By publishing different stories and experiences, other people who are thinking about using Direct Payments can see what a positive impact they can have and how much choice and control they give.
- Tel: 0191 3708825
- Send us a feedback at Direct Payments
- Email: directpayments@durham.gov.uk
Lesley's Story
Lesley is from County Durham and has been using Direct Payments for about a year. She employs someone to help with tasks around the home which Multiple Sclerosis prevents her from doing, and still can’t believe how easy Direct Payments are to manage and what a difference they’ve made . . .
“When I first heard about Direct Payments I was perhaps a bit unsure about using them. It was my District Nurse who first mentioned that I might find them useful, but I wasn’t really convinced. I can’t move on my own, so while my husband was out at work I was alone all day. Although family and friends would visit this wasn’t always possible every day, so some days I wasn’t eating or drinking until he came in. Also, my husband works full time in a demanding job but when he came home it was like he had to start all over again. As well as looking after me he was having to cook, clean, do the washing and more.
This isn’t how I wanted things to be, so eventually I thought I’d give Direct Payments a chance to see if they could make a difference. After chatting to my social worker and talking about the kinds of support I felt I needed, someone from the Direct Payments Support Team came to our home to take us through how Direct Payments work. They sounded straightforward enough, so we thought we’d give it a go!
Once the Support Team had got the paperwork in place, I needed to find someone to employ to provide the support we’d agreed on. Although I can’t carry out the physical side of managing the house, I know how I want things to work. Like everyone, there are ways I like certain things doing – I like my washing on the line on a sunny day and I like us all to eat fresh, healthy food for our evening meals. I wanted someone who’d be able to manage these jobs and found Catherine, who was looking for part time work, via word of mouth.
As far as Catherine’s work goes, I decide what she does each day. This includes things like cleaning windows, preparing the tea, putting the washing on, getting me a drink, making phone calls – just the everyday kinds of things really. And Catherine is great at doing things the way that I would do them if I could.
Now I’m eating and drinking during the day my health is better. The house is cleaner and I get more quality time with my husband because he’s not spending every night and weekend on never ending household chores. A local payroll company works out the wages and tax we need to pay and all we need to do is write a cheque out every couple of weeks. It couldn’t be easier.
I’ve actually changed the way I use my Direct Payments money as I’ve gone along. A couple of months into using Direct Payments I realised I didn’t need to use all of my available hours for help around the house but there were other things I felt I’d like to use them for. Now I have someone come to see me three times a week to dry my hair. My husband was doing it for me but while he’s a great builder, hairdressing isn’t his strong point!
Getting a happy medium happened quickly and it was nice to know that I could use the money for things like this and that Direct Payments could be adapted a bit along the way, once I’d got used to how they work.
I suppose when you first start using Direct Payments there’s a little bit of ‘trial and error’ while you see how things will work, but very quickly it just becomes the norm. And nothing happens that you don’t want to happen because you’re in control and you’re the employer – and if things ever didn’t work out as planned, you could always just employ someone else.
I can’t think of a single thing that’s bad about using Direct Payments. In fact we don’t really think about them at all now, because they’re such an integral part of our life. There was nothing I had to do to set up the Direct Payments because the Direct Payments Support Team helped out with it all. The only thing we have to do now is write out a cheque every fortnight to pay the tax . . . and the Team even remind us about that!
Although it’s easy for me to say now, I can’t understand why people would be sceptical about Direct Payments. The difference they can make is vast and it’s so easy. Honestly, if they weren’t easy to use or if they imposed on people I wouldn’t want to use them".
Maureen and Tony’s story
Maureen and Tony tell their story on behalf of Tony’s mum, Addie, who lives in Consett and has been getting Direct Payments from Durham County Council since early 2007.
"Mum is 82 and we think she’s had dementia since she was in her 50s. Although it got a lot worse in the last couple of years, Mum still wouldn’t accept that she needed some help and support. She wasn’t eating or going out and she was always phoning us, sometimes up to a dozen times a day, worried and confused.
Looking after Mum was becoming a bit of a struggle for us with work commitments and some of our own health issues, and we started to feel like we were failing Mum because we thought we should be able to cope and do everything for her.
Mum’s very understanding GP referred her to a geriatric consultant who formally diagnosed dementia. Following this we had a social care assessment from the Council in January 2007 and initially got some provided help via a care agency, mainly to make Mum’s meals and remind her to eat.
We weren’t entirely happy with how this was working out though, as Mum was just one of a long list of people the agency workers had to visit in a day and it felt as though she was just part of their ‘rota’ if you like. Consequently, timings weren’t always met and sometimes due to one thing and another, the workers simply didn’t turn up. We felt this made Mum very vulnerable as she was seeing lots of different people, sometimes up to 6 in a week, and a lack of continuity was making her more confused".
Maureen found out about Direct Payments from NHS colleagues she was working with at the time.
"When we heard about Direct Payments it seemed like the ideal solution. We went back to the Social Worker who carried out the original assessment but initially they said that Mum may not be able to have Direct Payments as she didn’t have mental capacity. However, we felt that while she may not understand the intricacies of how Direct Payments work, Mum understood the benefits and improvements they could bring. She knew she wanted one person coming into her home to help her, rather than different people all of the time.
We talked to Durham County Council’s Direct Payments Support Team, who suggested that we got Enduring Power of Attorney for Mum so we could take responsibility for her finances and could therefore manage the Direct Payments for her.
After we’d done this the Direct Payments were set up by the Support Team and we started looking for someone to employ to be Mum’s carer. This was quite easy for us as we knew what kind of person to look for because we knew what Mum needed help with and soon, through conversations with friends, we found a lady called Elizabeth who was interested in the job. She has years of caring experience and had worked in sheltered accommodation so was an ideal choice.
We spent some time getting to know Elizabeth and talked to her about the kinds of things we’d need her to do for Mum like cook her meals, take her shopping and help her get washed. This was all fine so we got an employment contract drawn up and Elizabeth began work.
Now Mum couldn’t do without Elizabeth and she really misses her when she’s having time off or holidays, although we’ve got a backup worker for these times. Mum is so capable when Elizabeth is there. Before, she was so frightened about going out and people she knew thought she’d passed away as they hadn’t seen her for so long! Now she loves going out, especially to the shops and catching up with the people she knows. Recently she attended a doctor's appointment with Elizabeth and her GP said "Good morning Addie, is this your carer”? "No" she replied "This is my friend". Elizabeth couldn’t wait to tell me what she had said and let me know how proud she was that Mum felt that way about her care. What better evidence of a job well done and a success for Direct Payments?
Admittedly to start with we thought the Direct Payments paperwork might be a little bit complicated, but it really is fine once you get going with it. We actually use a local company which supports small businesses to manage our payroll, so have very little paperwork to do. We’ve also used the Business Link website for information on being an employer and for things like sample job application forms.
Recently we’ve chosen to study on an open learning ‘Positive Dementia’ course, which has given us a much better understanding into how Mum’s mind is working.
We’re now in the process of setting up a small care agency where we hope to help people receiving Direct Payments find someone to employ.
Using Direct Payments is so liberating and Mum’s so happy. It’s not like a carer or employee and employer scenario - watching the two of them is like watching two friends. Mum’s been given her life back and so have we".
'My Independence Day' - Carol's Story
"Until I was 43, I led what most people would regard as a 'normal life' going to work and paying a mortgage. Then, having FSH Muscular Dystrophy, a slowly progressive muscle wasting condition I had a recession that changed my life dramatically. I found myself having to take early retirement on medical grounds and faced a future relying on a wheelchair and living on benefits. I was single and lived alone, and became housebound until one of my sisters was able to take time from her busy work schedule to take me shopping or keep hospital appointments. As time was limited, these trips for me were stressful, as I often found myself pushed at a breakneck speed in my manual wheelchair!
With ongoing progression of my condition, I now rely on an electric powered wheelchair (the good thing about this is… I’m in charge of the driving..!) However, as this wheelchair is too heavy for transporting in the back of a car, my sister can no longer take me shopping (is this a blessing I wonder…?) and I have to rely on either public transport or a wheelchair taxi. Travel distance is limited due to the cost involved when using a wheelchair taxi, and when relying on public transport, I run the risk of either a ramp not being fitted, or it’s not in working order. This was one problem I discovered one day, when I plucked up courage to travel on my own to Newcastle. Thankfully, a bus inspector came along and I eventually got home safely.
With the restrictions in my life, I became depressed, and lost all confidence. It was difficult to get out and socialise like anyone else, and as there was no wheelchair access into the homes of family members, I had to rely on them to come and visit me. However, as they have their own families and busy work schedules to keep to, their weekly visits were often short. I felt lonely and isolated, and wondered if there was anything I could do to improve my situation..?
I decided to telephone Durham County Council’s Social Services Department to see if there were any options available to me, and was put through to a Social Worker called Dave. After I informed him of my situation, he arranged to visit me at home for an assessment of my care needs. Dave was friendly and helpful and the assessment went well. He asked if I’d heard of a scheme called Direct Payments. He went on to explain that, with help through Direct Payments, I would be able to employ a personal assistant who would help with shopping, some housework and also help me get out and about to socialise. Gosh…! Help with going out to socialise..? This was exactly the kind of help and support I needed, and the hours I was allocated would also be flexible.
The next stage was a visit from Adult and Community Services for a financial assessment, and depending on my income, I was advised of the weekly amount I would contribute towards my care support service in employing a personal assistant, with help through Direct Payments.
(Left to right) Carol with Tracy from the Direct Payments TeamAfter I was happy with my contribution, I then had a phone call from Tracy who worked in the Direct Payments Office. She arranged to visit me at home where I was guided through the paperwork in employing a personal assistant. Tracy was also very friendly and helpful, and she also helped with the advert for my personal assistant which was then advertised in Job Centre Plus.
After a few weeks, I was delighted to meet and employ a lovely bubbly lady called Jayne. We share similar interests, and with one of them being a sense of humour, there’s never a dull moment! Jayne helps me with shopping, and if there’s an item that has to be reached for, or a clothes item that has to be tried on, then she assists me with that. She also helps with some housework, such as changing the bed and cleaning windows, which are chores I can no longer do myself. On occasion, she has also helped me with some cooking, where we have 'tried and tested' one or two tasty recipes!
We have been out and about to various places of interest such as Durham Cathedral and Chester le Street Riverside Park where I enjoyed feeding the ducks with pieces of bread. I took my camera so we could take some photographs of the beautiful local places of interest I am now able to visit.
On an end note, I am a lot happier now that I am able to get out and about and enjoy life again as well as having support with some household chores. When I look back I am pleased I made the phone call that day. So thank you to Durham County Council’s Social Services and Direct Payments who were able to help in turning my life around. I will always remember that day as my very own Independence Day…!"
Laura's Story
Laura lives in Consett and is one of lots of people who use Direct Payments. Laura was at college in Burton-on-Trent for five years and came home in 2006. But she missed her college friends and because she had been away for so long didn’t really know anyone in Consett.
She says ‘I could have gone to a day centre, but I like cooking, shopping for CDs and going to concerts better so I decided to get Direct Payments so I could do those things instead’.
With her Direct Payments Laura employs four Personal Assistants. A Personal Assistant is someone who helps you do the things you want to do. Laura chose her PAs herself and is their ‘boss’, but they are friends too.
Laura’s Mum says ‘Direct Payments are really easy to use. At first we were a bit worried about looking after the money, so we use a special company called a Book-Keeping Service to do that. If there is ever anything we don’t understand we just phone the Council’s Direct Payments Support Team and they explain things on the phone or visit us at home’.
Some of the other exciting things Laura has done with help from Direct Payments are canoeing, abseiling, horse-riding and having holidays in Skegness and Paris. Next on her ‘wish list’ is a trip to Thailand!
John's Story
John has used Direct Payments for four years.
He employs Mike as a Support Worker with his Direct Payments money.
Mike comes to John’s home to help him get up out of bed and get organised for the day. He makes sure John’s got his meals sorted for the day . . . and John says he makes a really good broth!
If Mike is ever away on holiday, some other people that John knows come in to take over Mike’s roles.
John has had lots of support from his social workers and from Pat in the Direct Payments team.
John is always busy! He goes to Innovations at Shildon two days each week, where he goes horse riding and swimming and learns how to cook. He also goes to Northumbria Day Break where he does lots of gardening. John has just finished planting some winter cabbages and is looking forward to picking them early next year.
