Paying Service Users and Carers for Their Involvement in the Educational Provision of The

School of Healthcare, University of Leeds

Interim Payment Policy for Service User and Carer Involvement

Introduction

The School of Healthcare at the University of Leeds shares a Joint User and Carer Strategy with Leeds Metropolitan University School of Health and Community Care. A key aim of the strategy is to provide mechanisms for the appropriate payment of service users and carers who become involved in educational provision. This is expressed as follows:

“To develop a fair, workable, creative, and responsive system of reward and acknowledge the investment of time and expertise by users and carers in educational activities. This system should be flexible and acceptable to all stakeholders including the University finance procedures and users and carers who may be in the receipt of benefits.” (1)

The Service User and Carer Involvement Strategy Implementation Group are very keen to ensure that we meet this strategy aim within the School of Healthcare. However, it has been recognised that the issues involved in devising such a system are complex and cut across not only University Human Resources and Finance regulations, but also requirements set down by Revenue and Customs, as well as the Department for Work and Pensions. Various individuals from within the Faculty of Medicine and Health, including senior representatives from Finance and HR, are now working together to look at some of the implications that service user and carer involvement has for the Faculty. It is their intention to work in consultation with other agencies to develop an appropriate payments policy covering the needs of the whole Faculty, of which the School of Healthcare is just one part.

The document before you is interim guidance for exclusive use within the School of Healthcare. As far as is possible under the circumstances, it takes account of the wishes expressed by local stakeholders and current good practice discerned in other similar local and national payment policies.

Payment Principles

A primary guiding principle is that nobody should be ‘out of pocket’ as a result of their involvement with the School. Payments should appropriately reflect the type of work being undertaken and be administered with respect for the dignity of the service user or carer. Whilst some individuals may find it more convenient to undertake work on a voluntary basis, without payment, this should never be assumed.

1 The School has a responsibility to ensure that each individual is fully informed of exactly what they have been asked to be involved in and the payment or incentive available.

If a service user or carer is in receipt of benefits, it is their own responsibility to report to the relevant agency any earnings that might affect their benefits entitlement before involvement takes place.

There are circumstances in which it may be appropriate to direct an individual to a source of independent benefits advice. If required, the Service User and Carer Involvement Development Worker, Chris Essen, can supply a number of useful contacts.

Payment Criteria

Payment should be offered for all formal contributions that a service user or carer makes to the School’s educational provision or research agenda; including:

 Attending meetings, committees or working groups

 Facilitating education, training or workshops

 Delivery of presentations or lectures

 Involvement in recruitment and selection or admissions

 Carrying out assessment or accreditation work.

 Attending external conferences at the request of the School

 Being individually interviewed for the purposes of learning and teaching or to inform the School’s research priorities.

 Attending involvement training sessions where a budget for payment has been provided

 Other specifically commissioned work.

Exclusions

There are a number of instances in which payment will not usually be made:

 Participation in open meetings, group consultations and conferences.

 Giving views as part of an external group meeting.

2  When a staff member is participating as part of their work role.

 When a student is attending as part of a course on which they are enrolled, or as a student representative.

 If an individual is already being reimbursed by another organisation.

Being interviewed as a research participant or patient does not attract payment under this policy, unless it occurs in relation to a specifically commissioned piece of involvement work.

Rates of Payment

Throughout the period covered by this interim policy the School will be using a standard session rate of £19 for up to 3 hours work; available for all involvement activity. This payment is generally sufficient to cover a morning or an afternoon of work, with a full day being treated as 2 sessions.

Service users or carers asked to be involved in direct teaching may alternatively be paid at the visiting speaker rate of £37.10 per hour should their input be considered comparable. Some discussion will need to occur between staff and the individual concerned, in order to establish if it would be appropriate to pay at this rate.

The School is also in a position to negotiate individual contracts for the completion of specific pieces of involvement work (where appropriate). School staff should approach the Director of Learning and Teaching to discuss this option.

Standard Expenses

In most cases, participants will be permitted to claim against the following list of standard ‘out of pocket’ expenses:

 Bus, tram or train fares

 Car mileage (22½p per mile)

 Parking charges

 Taxi Fares

 Child care / care relief (up to a value of £15)

Travel arrangements should be the most economical available to provide safe, practical transport for a particular individual or group.

3 Administrative and telephone costs will not normally be reimbursed. However, the School will endeavour to provide any equipment or facilities that, within reason, are found necessary for involvement.

Non-standard Expenses

It is recognised that other costs do arise on occasion and that it may be appropriate for the University to cover these.

For example, if a visitor has been asked to travel an inordinate distance to the University, necessitating an overnight stay, it is reasonable for them to expect to have their accommodation and meals paid for.

Similarly, if an interpreter, paid carer or other equal access support is identified as being necessary (and is an additional cost to those services which the participant has normal day-to-day access to), then there needs to be some discussion as to the most cost effective way to meet this requirement.

It should be noted, however, that all non-standard expense related issues should be resolved before involvement takes place. A written statement or agreement may serve to clarify arrangements.

Cancellations

If a piece of involvement work is cancelled at short notice by the School, then steps need to be taken to ensure that service users or carers are not out-of- pocket as a result. The member of staff who has arranged the involvement should use discretion in deciding what constitutes short notice, but as a general rule more than three days in advance would normally be considered reasonable notice of a cancellation.

If, upon cancellation of their involvement, an individual has already incurred unrecoverable 3rd party expenses (prepaid childcare, for example) then these should be reimbursed in the usual way.

Payment of involvement fees will only occur if an individual is already in attendance at the University when the cancellation occurs.

Procedures for Payment

Most payments to service users and carers will continue to be made using the blue ‘Payment of Fees and Associated Expenses Form’ issued by the School Finance Office. This form covers both the involvement fee and any related expenses. For volunteers who wish to claim expenses only, then the standard ‘Travel and Subsistence Expense Form’ should be used.

4 All payments will be made into the bank account of the payee by automatic transfer. Payment forms submitted to Finance before the 12th of the month will usually be processed for payment at the end of that month. Later submissions will be paid at the end of the following month.

Before any payment forms can be issued, either an ‘Authorisation of Fees and Expenses Form’ (for paying at the £19 session rate) or an ‘Outside Speakers Form’ (for paying at visiting speaker rates) need to be completed and approved before being passed to Gareth Bancroft in the School Finance Office. Copies should also go to Chris Essen, so that School involvement activity can be effectively tracked. A blank numbered payment form will be issued by Finance on receipt of an approved authorisation form.

Guidance on Completing the ‘Payment of Fees and Expenses Form’

The first section of the form is fairly straightforward and should be completed by the payee, with support if necessary. Payees can assist in speeding up the payment process by having their bank details, National Insurance number and any receipts to hand on the day of involvement. Return taxi receipts may need to be sent by post.

School staff are responsible for completing the remainder of the form. It is advised that the question regarding tax should be ticked as YES for all cases where the payee is not already an employee of the University. The information regarding tax exemption that appears on the rear of the form does not apply to service users or carers.

Tax will be deducted from all payments at basic rate

However, any overpayment of tax can be claimed back from Revenue and Customs at the end of the tax year. Chris Essen can advise payees on where to seek help with this or any other payments related queries.

The question regarding National Insurance Contributions (NIC) should also be ticked YES for all cases. It is unlikely that any payments will be above the NIC threshold for earnings anyway.

The staff member who has invited the service user of carer into the School will ultimately need to authorise the payment form and return it to the School Finance office with any receipts attached. The white back copy can be kept by the service user or carer.

Useful Contacts

Chris Essen Service User and Carer Involvement Development Worker School of Healthcare Room 2.10

5 Baines Wing University of Leeds Leeds LS2 9JT

0113 343 1467 [email protected]

Sam Samociuk Academic Lead for Involvement School of Healthcare Room 2.17 Baines Wing University of Leeds Leeds LS2 9JT

Gareth Bancroft Finance Assistant School of Healthcare Finance office Baines Wing University of Leeds Leeds LS2 9JT

Reference

1. University of Leeds School of Healthcare Studies & Leeds Metropolitan University School of Health and Community Care (2003) ‘Joint User and Carer Strategy: Report of the User and Carer Strategy Group’, Leeds, UoL / LMU, p7