Personal Care at Home Bill

I strongly support the amendment, which would place an explicit duty on service providers to involve service users in arrangements made under the Bill. This is very much in line with the Government’s policy of devolving power to disabled people and realigning care and support systems so that they promote real choice, control and personalisation. These are goals that current legislation actively thwarts. Unless you live in an area—and such areas remain the exception—where the local authority is at an advanced stage of implementing self-directed support and individual budgets, you will find that your care package remains something handed down to you, rather than something you actively participate in, design or own. Many people continue to receive services they would not choose for themselves and much provision is arranged for the convenience of the provider, rather than being tailored to what the individual needs. The amendment would provide a valuable corrective to this lingering culture of paternalism. It could also provide an invaluable guarantor of the cost-effectiveness of the new free care offer. There is copious evidence that self-directed support achieves better outcomes for people with the same resources. I strongly urge the Minister to give a firm commitment today to embedding the principles of choice and control in the arrangements made under the Bill.