The Road to Recovery
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Gill Jackson used her individual budget to buy an electric bike and the new-found freedom has changed her life. Gill has a physical disability brought on by ME. Last year she started trialling a new system that allows her to choose her own care package and manage her own individual budget. |
The new system is being developed by local authorities across the country and will replace existing social care structures in a few years’ time. But what do the changes actually mean to local people?
For Gill it’s about individual choice, control and flexibility. “With an individual budget you’re given money following a self assessment“, says Gill. “The assessment allows you to think outside the box. It’s now about outcomes, encouraging you to think about what would give you a better standard of life.”
Gill spent time with a care manager when filling out the form. “She asked me: If I had a magic wand, what would my life look like?” Gill recalls.
“I said I’d like to go cycling with friends, in Epping Forest and in the countryside like I used to”, adds Gill. After doing some research she discovered an electric bike shop in Camden. “The shop allowed me to try some out. On the bike I was literally laughing and crying at the same time because I could simply use the motor, not use any energy if I didn’t want to, but also pedal with assistance if I did”.
“It makes me feel much better. On that bike I’m a cyclist; I don’t feel like I’m disabled”
Gill used some of her budget to buy a bike. “I got some good advice from a friend who knows about bikes, got my helmet and off I went. It was heaven! I go cycling when my condition allows – definitely in warm dry weather and in the countryside. Canal towpaths are great.”
“In the past I have been left behind as I cannot use a normal bike; this led to depressive moods and made me focus on my impairment. But now I can plan a trip and build up to it. Sometimes I can get pain and fatigue, but believe me it’s worth it for the joy and freedom cycling this way gives me. It makes me feel much better. On that bike I’m a cyclist; I don’t feel like I’m disabled. That’s the outcome.”
Because she controls how the money is spent, Gill was able to pay a good rate for her carer. “I got good advice when I was filling out my assessment,” she says. “First and foremost the budget takes care of my daily needs – I employ an assistant for a few hours a day. I used the money left over to buy my bike. That’s the great thing about my individual budget: it takes away my dependence on Social Services.”
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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