Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation Key themes December 2012

Transcription

1 Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation Key themes December 2012 Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 1

2 Executive Summary On 1 st June 2012, a public consultation commenced on the proposed changes to the way the Council pays direct payments in Adult Social Care. Service users, carers, voluntary organisations and other interested residents were asked to comment and provide feedback throughout a consultation period ending 20 July This document provides a summary of what people said about the proposals. All the feedback received has informed the Council s decision making on a way forward. Response to the consultation 222 individual responses were received, including surveys, telephone call, s and attendance at meetings to discuss the proposals with officers in person. Some people may have responded more than once. Key messages People think prepaid cards are a good idea for some as long as they are just one option of how to receive a direct payment People who were concerned about the proposals were generally unsure how the card would work and how it could benefit them People understood that the Council needs to work more efficiently in future and prepaid cards will help the council to do this People were concerned that some people with certain types of disability would struggle to use telephone or online banking People generally felt that they would need some support to move over to the new service Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 2

3 1 Background Richmond upon Thames Council has been consulting on changing the payment mechanism for making direct (cash) payments in Adult Social Care. The Council currently pays direct payments directly into a dedicated bank account, which is either in the name of the service user or a nominated third party who manages the direct payment on the service user s behalf. Payments are currently made by automated BACS transfer. It is one of the key objectives of Adult Social Care personalisation to increase the number of people given a direct payment in order to give service users more choice and control over how their eligible social care needs are met. Introducing Prepaid Cards can increase flexibility and reduce the barriers to direct payments, whilst providing a solution that is more cost effective so that more resources can be provided to support those people requiring managed services. The consultation started in June 2012 in order to gather the public s response to this proposal, particularly from people currently receiving a direct payment, as well as their families and carers and the voluntary organisations that support people with social care needs. Why we consulted The aim of this consultation was to gather comments, concerns and feedback from service users, carers, voluntary organisations and other interested residents to enable the Council to make an informed decision on whether/how the proposal should be implemented. In particular, the Council wanted to collect information on: How the proposals would impact on service users and their carers Which elements of the service people were concerned about How people currently make payments with their direct payment Whether there were particular functions the cards would need Whether people would be get involved in development of the service This report provides an overview of the responses received to the consultation, sets out the key themes emerging, some of the queries and concerns raised during the consultation period and the Council s response to these queries. Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 3

4 2 Methodology and responses On 1 st June 2012, 377 people receiving a direct payment from the Council, their carers and third parties receiving a direct payment on behalf of a service user (including people with power of attorney) were sent a letter and survey setting out the proposals above and asking them to fill out and return a short survey with their comments and concerns on the proposal. People were asked to contact the Council for help if they required the documents in another format or had any questions about the letter they received. The survey and supporting information was also published on the Council s website and was sent by to local voluntary organisations for dissemination amongst their networks. Following feedback from service users at the first consultation event, Council officers resent the original letter and survey in large print to people with visual impairments. A small number of people that had not received a letter responded to the consultation after hearing about the changes through the local community, voluntary organisations or neighbours. In response to representations made from service users and voluntary organisations, the Council decided on 15 th June 2012 to extend the consultation period by a further 3 weeks until 20 th July How people responded In addition to filling out a paper survey, feedback was also collated via the following methods: Online via a web survey Providing feedback over the telephone Writing a letter or feedback Providing feedback at a consultation event People could also feedback via their local voluntary organisations Completed surveys made up 33% of responses received during the consultation. Table 1 below shows a breakdown of how people chose to respond. The Council received 29 telephone calls; people called for a number of reasons, including to discuss the proposals in more detail and to provide feedback over the telephone. 3 consultation events were held and 25 people attended these events and used this opportunity to raise specific questions or concerns during a question and answer session. Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 4

5 Method of Completion Number of responses Paper Survey 111 Online Survey 36 Feedback over the telephone 29 Letter/ s to the Council 6 Complaints 1 Consultation events 25 Letters/ s from voluntary sector 14 Total 222 Table 1: Number of individual responses by method Response rate It is not possible to accurately calculate an overall response rate as people have been allowed to respond more than once. Profile of respondents 82% of responses were from people receiving a direct payment or their carers. Figure 1 below shows an overall breakdown of respondents. Figure 1: Profile of respondents Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 5

6 What we know about the people who responded Of the service users who completed a survey, 79% had been receiving a direct payment for over 2 years with a further 19% having a direct payment for 1 to 2 years. 64% said that they currently had someone who managed their account or helps them keep track of how they spend their money. 79% stated that they used at least part of their direct payment to pay for a carer or personal assistant. What the survey told us We received 147 completed surveys during the consultation. People were asked in the survey how concerned they were about the proposal. 61% said they were concerned or very concerned about the proposals, see table 2 below for details. Question not concerned at all not very concerned neither concerned nor unconcerned How concerned are you about the proposal for the Council to make direct payments using a 5% 11% 10% 24% 37% 13% prepaid card? Table 2: How concerned respondents were as a % of responses received People were asked to state what they were most concerned about. 57% of people responded. Table 3 below sets out more details. concerned very concerned blank Question card security changing over not sure how the card will work not having someone to help Poor customer service If you are concerned, what worries you most about the proposal to use a prepaid card? Table 3: Number of respondents and what they were concerned about * This includes using the card to receive payment and making payment in person/ over the telephone/ internet People were most concerned whether the scheme would be mandatory. 11 people indicated that they would not wish to take up a prepaid card. using the card* Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 6

7 3 Overarching themes Theme What people said My vote is to make it 'optional', there are some who might not need the card and others that don't want it. Mandatory or optional Why change what works well? Card design There was a general feeling that prepaid cards were a good idea for those confident and able enough to use them. However, many people felt that it would be difficult if prepaid cards were the only way to receive a direct payment. The present system with bank account works for us. The thought of changing over to another system is a nightmare. Some people felt that they had a good system in place and the thought of changing over was a daunting one. I feel that carrying a card issued by a non-high street bank and possibly with a Council logo will draw negative attention. A few people said they were concerned about what the card might look like. A significant percentage of the population is dependent on cheques as a payment option. Cheques Many service users seemed unfamiliar with electronic payments, particularly card payments, and felt either unable to learn how to use a new payment method and/ or unable to cope with the technology and processes involved. Many people were unaware of how to make some of their regular payments, including those for daily care, without a cheque. People also said that cheques are invaluable to them and that they used cheque book stubs to keep track of spending. Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 7

8 Paying small business and individuals Accessibility Small organisations that some people use would not have card readers and apart from this, they might not wish to divulge their bank account details. I am in receipt of a DP as I have learning difficulties and need support to enable me to live independently. I find it difficult to manage budgets and accounts and this is just another area I would need help with. I find it difficult to remember Pi Number and I find it difficult to manage card payments. Some people questioned how prepaid cards might be useful to them. There was a general feeling that older people and people with learning disabilities would struggle to use prepaid cards. Internet & telephone banking Benefits My father cannot use the Internet due to vision impairment and cannot read a card number so he could not use telephone banking either. Many people felt that telephone and Internet banking could not be used by some people with certain disabilities My existing debit card is only used to spend my direct payments - so why do I need a new one? Other people stated that they already had a debit card and had set up all their payments via standing order or direct debit. There was a general acceptance that in this current financial climate, the Council should be looking for innovative ways to deliver services. However, some people were worried that the new system would be intrusive and the Council and would be taking back control of their personal budget. Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 8

9 4 Overall queries and concerns A number of organisations raised the importance of undertaking an Equality Impact Needs Assessment (EINA) to ensure people are not disproportionately affected by the proposal and this EINA is being published alongside this report. Throughout the consultation period, people have asked about how the prepaid cards might work in detail, including how secure the cards will be, what happens if the card is lost and how to access telephone banking. These are valid questions, which will be included in the specification for the pre paid card. The Council has started talking to service users and carers who had indicated on their survey that they were interested in getting involved further. This group has already helped us to better understand some of the concerns raised and we hope they will continue to be involved in evaluating potential providers. Overall questions and Council response Will you make prepaid cards mandatory for people with a Direct Payment? No. The scheme will be optional. If you are happy with your current arrangements or there are reasons why you cannot use prepaid card you can opt out. We want prepaid cards to be one option to receive a direct payment. People will have choice and control over how they receive and spend their direct payments. It is important to note that prepaid cards would enable some people to have a direct payment who are not currently able to do so. There are over 1000 people with a personal budget with just a third receiving a direct payment. Why does the Council want to change a system that works well for people? We recognize that the current system works well for some people but it doesn t work well for everyone. Also some people don t comply with the Council s requirements with managing their direct payment. For example, 50% of bank statements are not sent to the council on time; Council officers spend a lot of time chasing information, which is not an efficient use of their time. Prepaid cards will remove this task completely. What are the financial efficiencies the Council is hoping to achieve? The Council is not proposing to make any cashable savings from prepaid cards. However, we expect that prepaid cards would achieve efficiencies, including a reduction in staff time from the setting up and monitoring of direct payments. Can you explain clearly what the benefits are to the recipient? Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 9

10 Getting started: Prepaid cards would enable the service user to have a direct payment within days instead of weeks or months. No need to set up a bank account, filling in applications forms and enlisting help to do so Managing your direct payment: No more collating bank statements for your annual review No more copying and faxing of paper records Some people would learn to use electronic banking for the first time opening up new opportunities and access to service providers who they might not used in the past Please can you provide a summary of how the prepaid card will work? We want to put in place a service that works as much like a bank account as possible. The service specification will be informed by the feedback and experience of the people who receive direct payments already. Here is a summary of what we want the prepaid card to do: Payments by card in person, via the phone, online Payments by standing order / direct debit Secured by Chip and PIN Allow security by Chip and Signature Allow or not ATM cash withdrawal access Allow or not cash back at point of sale Telephone and internet banking Banking in person/ branch Will the Council put restrictions on how people use the prepaid card, such as imposing blocks on certain types of providers? We are not proposing to make any restrictions to where you use your direct payment. We would expect you to be able to continue to use your direct payment in the same way as you do now in line with your support plan. What support will be available to people when changing over, particularly in terms of changing existing direct debits and standing orders? We will provide guidance and support to everyone moving over to prepaid cards. This might include instructions on how to change direct debits, for example. We envisage that some people would need support in managing this change and we will work with our coproduction group and the voluntary sector to make sure we are able to provide the support people need. Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 10

11 Will people with specific mobility issues that prevent them from operating Chip and PIN be able to sign for payments? We want to offer a solution for everyone but cannot give a definite answer to this question at the moment. We hope that this is possible and will include in our specification. How will I be able to pay for my carer without a chequebook? There are several options for handling these payments differently already. One possibility might be that if you currently use a payroll service to calculate wages, tax and national insurance contributions, you might be able get your payroll service to set those payments up as direct debits. We recognise that some direct payments users rely heavily on cheques in order to remain independent and that some individuals or smaller organisations do not accept payment any other way. We have committed to look into whether this is something that can be provided and this will be included in our specification. Will there be an option for people to do personal banking in a branch? As we have not made a decision or selected a supplier yet, we cannot confirm if this is possible but will include this requirement in our service specification. How can you ensure creative support planning isn't lost? Prepaid cards would simply change the way we pay direct payments. Support planning would remain the same as it is now and people s support plans would not be affected Will the Council be reviewing my account more frequently as a result of this proposal? We will monitor direct payments in the same way as we do now. This means that we would continue to review your account as outlined in your personal budget agreement. The use of prepaid cards would simply enable us to run regular reports on direct payments over all, some of which would be designed to monitor cash withdrawals for example. We may choose to look at individual accounts where a problem might have been flagged up through reporting. Adult Social Care - Direct Payments Prepaid Cards Consultation response 11