The following information is shared on behalf of East Sussex County Council and provides important guidance on contingency care planning ahead of the Christmas holidays.
With the Christmas holidays coming up it’s important to make sure that you have an up-to-date Plan B for if your regular Personal Assistant (PA) isn’t available due to annual leave or sickness.
Having a contingency plan is your responsibility as an employer, but we hope this leaflet will give you some idea about what needs doing.
Your contingency plan should set out any essential support needs you have that must be met, such as personal care, medication administration and meal preparation, and who would meet them. Before agreeing to your Personal Assistant’s leave, do make sure the person who will be covering is free when you need them and able to meet your essential needs.
Don’t forget that your direct payment includes money to make these sort of cover arrangements, including paying for home care support if you can’t find PA cover.
If you’re not sure where to start, you could:
- find another professional who could cover by contacting home care agencies listed on eastsussex.gov.uk/, or
- ask a family member, friend, or neighbour to be on standby over this period.
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to help you find cover over the holidays if your Personal Assistant isn’t available at short notice. This is due to the high demand we experience over the winter period.
So please do make sure you’ve got robust arrangements in place, and you have confirmed your plans with the people involved.
If you need advice on creating, agreeing or updating your contingency plan, our Direct Payment support provider, Independent Lives can help.