People and jobs are different measures

For 2024/25, Skills for Care estimates that around 70,000 recipients of social care direct payments employed their own staff. About 104,000 people filled 131,000 personal assistant posts, because some assistants worked for more than one employer. These are England estimates for this funding route, rather than a count of every personal assistant across the UK. The same report puts median hourly pay at £13.00 in February 2026. That later pay snapshot should be kept separate from the earlier workforce totals. [2]

The person defines the support

The government’s role description puts the person’s needs, preferences and aspirations at the centre of the arrangement. Assistance can include personal care, household tasks, getting to work or education, and taking part in community activities. Someone who wants to direct their support can also have a representative act as employer. Disability Rights UK stresses that actual duties and working arrangements matter more than the job title: the defining feature is the disabled person’s direction of the agreed support. [3]

Employing someone brings practical responsibilities

Disability Rights UK describes how people can use public funding or their own money to choose and employ a personal assistant. When the arrangement is employment, the responsibilities include organising payroll. GOV.UK’s employer guidance adds contracts, payslips and employees’ rights, including applicable minimum pay. It advises asking the local council about organisations that help with recruitment and payment. Funding a role through a council or the NHS does not remove these employer responsibilities. Administrative support can therefore be an important part of making choice workable. [5]

Training starts with the individual

The July guidance recommends induction by the individual employer or, where appropriate, a senior assistant. Further learning can involve shadowing, targeted courses or qualifications, with training agreed around the person’s changing requirements. This gives both sides a practical starting point: describe the support wanted, agree the necessary skills and make time to learn the role. A personal assistant joining a second person’s team will need to understand that person’s preferences and circumstances as well. [3]