Spending your direct payment

Direct payments must be used to meet the outcomes agreed in your care and support plan. You can spend them on:

• Personal care
• Respite or short breaks
• Equipment or services

You must keep records and submit financial returns.

As a hirer of services you are responsible for checking and paying invoices. You should ensure the person or agency you have hired is suitable and has the relevant training, insurance and registration as required.
 

Community micro-enterprises (CME)

CMEs are small, local organisations or sole traders offering care and support. They may be:

• Regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• Unregulated but working under your direction

They can offer a wide variety of support to help meet your needs including:

• support at home, such as personal care, meals, cleaning, shopping and running errands
• support getting out into your community, such as activities, hobbies, therapies, learning new skills, day services and peer support

Finding a care and support

Search the CME directory on the small good stuff website. 

Personal Assistant (PA)

A PA is someone you employ directly to help with:

• Personal care
• Medication
• Household tasks
• Social and community activities

PAs work flexibly and build trusted relationships with the people they support. Find out more. 

Self-employed carer or support worker

These are individuals who:

• work independently and invoice for their services
• manage their own tax, insurance, and contracts
• must have public liability insurance and a contract for services agreement

Use GOV.UK to check someone's employment status.

Typical rates

• Employed PAs - from £12.21 - £13.37 per hour (plus employer on-costs)
• Self-employed carers - typically, around £22 -24 per hour

Employer on-costs are the extra costs incurred when an employer covers employer's NI, pension contributions and annual leave.