Adult social care clients aged 18 years and over in receipt of a direct payment

In our request, we refer to:

Direct payments: specifically, money paid to clients aged 18 years and over so that they can arrange their own care and support.

Personal assistants: provide people with personal, domestic, and social support to help them live independently.

Homecare: social care and support services delivered in people's own homes (also known as 'domiciliary care' or 'care at home'). 

In case of doubt, you should apply a reasonable and practical interpretation to the request. If you do not hold the information in the exact form requested, please provide the nearest available information you hold and explain the basis on which it is recorded.

The information requested is:

1) The total number of adult social care clients aged 18 years and over in receipt of a direct payment as of:

(i) 1 April 2024,

(ii) 1 April 2025 and

(iii) 1 April 2026 (or the nearest dates for which data is held).

2) The percentage of adult social care clients aged 18 years and over in receipt of a direct payment as of:

(i) 1 April 2024,

(ii) 1 April 2025 and

(iii) 1 April 2026 (or the nearest dates for which data is held).

3) Please also state the denominator used for each percentage calculation (i.e. the total number of all adult social care clients aged 18 years and over for each date).

4) Please provide details of any strategy or target you have to increase direct payment uptake among adult social care clients over the next few years. 

Questions (5-6) consider how direct payments are used.

5). The total number of clients aged 18 years and over currently in receipt of a direct payment to buy homecare services through an agency.

6). The total number of clients aged 18 years and over currently in receipt of a direct payment to employ or engage a personal assistant.

Questions (7-10) relate to personal assistants.

7. The total number of personal assistants currently recorded by your council as supporting adults aged 18 years and over through a direct payment arrangement. (This information might be held in a register, approved list, payroll/support service, direct payment monitoring process, or other council held record.)

8. The total number of those personal assistants in answer to question (f) recorded by your council as having an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where this information is held.

9. The total number of those personal assistants in answer to question (f) recorded by your council as self-employed.

10. Where a direct payment recipient wishes to engage a personal assistant on a self-employed basis, what evidence, checks or guidance does your council require or use before agreeing that the arrangement may be treated as self employed rather than employed?

1. Please see below table this information has been provided as of the 31st of March each year Number of DP service users

31/03/2024 2312

31/03/2025 2295

31/03/2026 2159

2. See table below

Date       DP Service Users  All LT Community Service Users  DP %

31/03/2024  2312                    5202                                         44.44

31/03/2025  2295                     5334                                        43.03

31/03/2026  2159                     5470                                        39.47

3. Denominator used is the number of service users with a Long Term service excluding nursing and residential services

4. No set target figure for increasing Direct Payments. Uptake is based on consent and eligibility of person. No formal strategy in place, but links to Adult Social Care Strategy 2026 – 28 where the aim is to strengthen the use of Direct Payments so that people have greater choice, control and flexibility in how their care and support is arranged. The aim is to increase uptake where a Direct Payment is the best option for the person to meet their outcomes in an appropriate way. The approach is to ensure social care practitioners are knowledgeable and confident to offer and set up Direct Payments, and that support is in place for people to accept the offer and manage their Direct Payment, including support through our Direct Payments Support service.

5-9. Lincolnshire County Council does not hold this information

10. The LCC Direct Payments policy states;

If you choose not to employ your own Personal Assistant and instead use a self-employed PA, they will be responsible for dealing with their own tax and National Insurance (NI). You should ask them for copies of the following documents as proof of their status:

1. Self-assessment registration number

2. A signed document from Revenue & Customs saying that the PA is self-employed for care work If you do not obtain this proof, then you could be liable for back pay in tax and National Insurance Contributions if it turns out later that they should have been employed rather than self-employed. You need to obtain these documents even if you are using self-employed Pas provided by a care agency.

If you use the services of a self-employed PA then you should check that they provide:

• Public Liability Insurance (up to £5 million)

• Current DBS Check – it is advisable that these are updated on a 3 yearly basis

• Service Contract/Agreement (incl. complaints procedure etc)

• Invoices for payment of work completed Invoices from self-employed PAs are one of the types of evidence you need to keep to show us that you are keeping records and to continue to use a Direct Payment. A person who works for themselves and finds many customers who will buy their services (which could be you) is an example of how a self-employed person may work.

• They will run a business as a self-employed person

• They will do their own tax and NI deductions and send an invoice for you to pay

• They choose the way they want to work and you purchase their services

• They will have their own business insurance

• They should provide references for you to see

• They should also provide major pieces of equipment needed to do their job

• They will usually dictate their terms and conditions of services and provide a service contract for you to sign You would not usually need to pay them sick pay or holiday pay because you are not the employer and a self-employed person will usually provide you with emergency cover if they are sick for example.