New independent research commissioned by the Department of Health has concluded that individual budgets can greatly improve carers' quality of life.

Individual budgets allow people in receipt of state funded social care services to direct how the money allocated for their care is spent, instead of local authorities buying services on their behalf.

The report found that individual budgets can allow carers more control and flexibility in their daily routines, and some carers said individual budgets also improved the quality of life for the person they were looking after. The sample of carers interviewed included elderly carers.

The team who undertook the research consisted of the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York and Personal Social Services Research Unit, University of Kent. Their findings, The Individual Budgets Pilot Project - Impacts and Outcomes for Carers, can be downloaded from  http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_095420