[dom165]

Writing from UK.

Does anyone collect 24hr care with direct payments? I'm c5/6 quadriplegic complete and thinking about direct payments. For the past 14 years i have had no outside help at all, no district nurse, no carers etc. My partner has done everything for me.If we decided to "split up" and no longer be "partners" could i employ her as a live-in carer?


It seems that the payment to a partner is only in "exceptional circumstances" where the client is of ethnic minority and requires the partners assistance due to religious or language consideration.
Unfortunatly, I am not ethnically challenged and it would be difficult to convince the authorities that due to being a 'Jedi', i should have special consideration!!

Even if the authorities suspected anything untoward, is there any way there could prove that we actually were partners and not just live-in carer and client??

Please let me know if anyone has qualified either legitimatly or otherwise.

Obviously, i would prefer to be 100% honest, but after 14 years of exceptional hard work, my partner has basically given up her lie to care for me, for £30 a week carers allowance. I know that this was her choice, but we have saved the council unknown £££££££'s over the years. My partners health has suffered and her own social and personal lifestyle, so to be able to afford a holiday or break together as some sort of reward for the work she does would be terrific.

[Izziwhizzi]

dom165, on Jun 20 2007, 11:02 PM, said:

Obviously, i would prefer to be 100% honest, but after 14 years of exceptional hard work, my partner has basically given up her lie to care for me, for £30 a week carers allowance. I know that this was her choice, but we have saved the council unknown £££££££'s over the years. My partners health has suffered and her own social and personal lifestyle, so to be able to afford a holiday or break together as some sort of reward for the work she does would be terrific.

It does seem unfair doesn't it. A real catch 22. As far as I understand the rules you are correct. A partner/spouse or even family member living in the same house cannot get direct payments for your care.

Also something else that seems unfair is the £18k savings rule. I hate to be funny but nowadays £18k is a very low figure, what does this signify? Stay on benefit if you are a tetra so you can get good care packages? Work in a decently paid job, save some money for holidays or a rainy day and you are buggered? If you want to buy a new adapted van you can expect to pay significantly more than £18k.

I know several people who have much more money than this and get direct payments - yes they fib on the forms. Also in some areas I have heard that they waive this figure, but there seems no firm or fast rulings on who, how and why.

Also some county councils will supply carers in if your spouse is unable to care. But the quality of care as you know and the level of service is very variable and only disctrict nurses can do bowel routines to their eratic schedules. If we opted for this in my county council we would have to pay the first £338 weekly charge for this level of care, yet a county less than 50 miles away the upper weekly figure is a mere £50. That means if my husband went out to paid work instead of looking after me the first £25k per year he earned before tax would have to pay for the council for carers!

Like your partner, my hubby has done over 20 years of 24 hour care and he is fed up with the lack of respect in the real world he gets for this. It looks like if you love a tetra enough to live with them and care for them you'll never be paid a reasonable (or even a fraction of minimum wage) figure for your work. Its not very nice and doesn't make us or our loved ones feel good.

L xx

[margaret]

Unfortunately for you in the UK, the rules are obviously way different than here in the US. I receive direct care payments for my husband who is a quad C5-6 complete. He has a prescription from his Doctor that says he requires 24 hour care. The insurance company pays me directly and I know that they save ALOT of money by doing it this way rather than paying an agency to come in our home and care for him around the clock. Kudos to your caregiver; I know how hard and difficult it can be. She must be special!!!