For example our new Care at Home and Pathways models enable our Trusted Partners in the home care workforce and voluntary sector to work with people and their carers to allow greater flexibility in how and when care is delivered, supporting people to be independent and stay in their community for as long as possible. This helps with demand management and delays the need for formal care to the mutual benefit of the resident and the Council. Trusted Partners also work closely with community health and primary care services in our Local Care Networks to ensure that people can access support in a coordinated and timely way. We want to work with providers as partners.

We are working to develop a help and support finder platform. The aim is to maximise independence by enabling people to find providers able to meet their needs directly and make it easier to use direct payments. We are also creating a Personal Assistant database. This will support people to advertise and recruit local Personal Assistants and ensure that if a resident wants to employ their own staff it will be facilitated for them.

We would like providers to develop a diverse offer for people to use their Direct Payments in Bexley."

For those in Bexley with a learning disability, we can offer an Individual Service Fund (ISF). This provides people with the same choice and control as a direct payment, whilst having a provider to look at creative solutions for care and managing the financial transactions of a person’s individual budget. This offer has proved popular, particularly with those entering Adult Social Care through the Preparing for Adulthood service. Due to demand we have recently procured a framework of providers to allow greater choice of who an individual would like to manage their budget. We can provide an ISF for those living in their own/family homes, together with an ISF for those requiring accommodation.

It is our aspiration to extend this offer to older people and working age adults with a physical disability. We would like to work with providers to develop a vibrant offer in the borough for those who would like to take this opportunity."