Making Connections - Making A Difference

U Turn over eligibility Criteria

On the 8th of December Edinburgh Council delayed making a decision on implementing new eligibility criteria until March 2010. In the meantime, officers were instructed to do a new Equalities Impact Assessment and to consult with relevant groups and organisations in the design and procedure.

It is vital that the groups and organisations concerned exert a collective influence and do not agree to participate in the EIA until there is an agreement in its design and process.

Edinburgh Council has been hit by a flood of concerns over this issue. If it is happening in your area please get in touch with us for help and advice. To understand the concerns please read on.

Edinburgh Contract Award report withdrawn - LDAS statement

The Learning Disability Alliance Scotland welcomes the intervention of the Council Leader and the Chief Executive of the City Of Edinburgh Council to withdraw the proposed award of contract papers for the special Finance and Resource Committee on December 3rd.

We are further glad to see that an independent investigation of the competitive tender process will take place. This is a period for quiet reflection and to ensure that the values of integrity and honesty that have always been important in our capital city are restated and renewed. There will be further consideration of this matter in the New Year.

We are sure that at the end of the process vulnerable adults will be helped to keep the services and support that they value so much. We have spent many months working on this campaign and have raised a series of concerns over both the conduct of the tender process and its outcome. These concerns have been echoed by the many community and other voluntary organisations that we have worked with.

We have to wonder now what the future will be for the council officials and the councillors who have tried to drive through this process at the expense of disabled people all over the city.

George Foulkes MSP stands up in Parliament for choice in Edinburgh

Direct Payments (City of Edinburgh Council)

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the City of Edinburgh Council's proposal to cut its direct payments rate to a single level per client group irrespective of individual need. (S30-8577)

The Minister for Public Health and Sport (Shona Robison): The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 requires local authorities to ensure that the direct payment is sufficient to enable the recipient to secure support of an appropriate standard. It is for councils to ensure that a person's needs are being met. A direct payment rate should be sufficient to purchase a service of an equivalent standard to a council-provided service. In line with our guidance, it is for local authorities to determine the direct payment rate. That ensures that local authorities can take into account local conditions and workforce considerations.

I understand that the City of Edinburgh Council will discuss the rates of direct payments at its finance and resources committee meeting next week, on 3 December.

HUNDREDS REJECT EDINBURGH CARE PLANS

New research by the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland has discovered that dissatisfaction with Edinburgh Council’s proposals for the purchase of care services has more than trebled in the last month.

533 vulnerable adults would rather decide for themselves who provides their care and support rather than rely on the City of Edinburgh Council’s chosen providers.

At the end of October, council officials reported that 157 people had asked to opt out of the care and support tender. Now that number has more than trebled. 476 people have asked for a Direct Payment and a further 57 who are not able to get a Direct Payment have asked to be given a choice.

What next in Edinburgh

At the Edinburgh Council meeting today the Labour amendment was passed by 29 votes to 28. That means there is now a pause for breath in the competitive tendering while councils officials rush about doing what they should have done long ago. Our understanding of what this means is as follows:

1. There will be a series of meetings this week organised by the Chief Executive of the CEC to look at the amendment and plan a campaign to meet its requirements.

2. All political parties will be involved in this and therefore there will be a number of different objectives to be met from the final report.

3. Reps from the political parties will meet with service users and carers and organisations to discuss how concerns can be resolved. Since these concerns principally now are around is the money sufficient, there needs to be movement on 10 below.

4. All people who apply for a Direct Payment will have their hours totalled and withdrawn from the contract award.

5. They will continue with their current provider on the usual basis until the Direct Payment is approved.

6. The date of Dec 3rd for this to take place no longer applies- we do not know what will happen with this. But all future applications should be put in sooner rather than later. In the spirit of “partnership” it will allow better planning if they are in asap. If any organisation/service user groups/advocacy groups has problems supporting people in making this choice, then the council should be able to help.

7. The question of choice for those who don’t want to be transferred but can’t get or don’t want a DP will be considered. Suggestions on this will be helpful.

8. All remaining hours are likely to be put into new contracts – the officials have stated that they do not have to award all contracts but those that they do should be in the region of 800 to 1200 hours per week.

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