The findings from the Personalisation Pilots were generally positive though they say that for many older people, managing their own support was difficult and caused anxieties. The central idea behind Personalisation offers huge potential for many service users, people receiving an IB were more likely to feel in control of their daily lives, compared with those receiving conventional social care support. However, the transition from one system to another still raises some serious concerns which do need to be addressed. You can download the report on the pilots here:

In Spring 2009, the Government will publish as Green Paper (the consultation stage for developing new laws) on the future funding of social care.

In Manchester, the pace of change is rapid with aprox. 2000 people now in receipt of an Individual Budget. One third of these service users are in receipt of Direct Payments (cash payments).