Press release: Sense response to report on social care
15 September 2011
Shortcomings must be addressed if value for money is to be secured for users of social care “personal budgets” once they are extended to all eligible users by April 2013, according to a report published today by the National Audit Office.
According to the report, more needs to be done to ensure that care markets deliver a genuine choice of services to all users, that support is available to help them exercise choice, and that essential services relied on by vulnerable people continue to be provided in the event of the failure of a major provider.
Sue Brown, Head of Public Policy at the national deafblind charity Sense, says:
"Sense welcomes this report and its recommendations for more support and security for care service users and increased central oversight. However, the report looks mainly at services such as personal assistants rather than specialist services such as those needed by deafblind people.
"We are additionally calling on the Government to ensure deafblind people get the support they need, such as one-to-one communication support, and to urgently ensure local authorities have a duty to 'stimulate and shape the market for services', as recommended by the Law Commission."
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