Adult social care plans discussed at scrutiny committee
Changes are taking place to the way that adult social care services are developed and delivered.
The council’s Joint Safe and Confident Communities and Healthy Communities Scrutiny Committee this week received an update on how some of these plans are progressing. The meeting, on Monday 28 November 2011, came after the biggest consultation on adult social care in the history of the county, which was recently undertaken to look at how the council can deliver the best care possible, through a variety of tailored services, developed by the people who use them, their carers, supporters, families and friends.
The consultation took place from 4 July 2011 to 30 September 2011. During this time more than 600 people took part in events and discussions, resulting in a wealth of information and data that fed into the creation of a new strategy for adult social care. The strategy was agreed by Cabinet on 19 October 2011.
Significant key messages emerged from the consultation on the areas that are the most important to the people who use or come into contact with adult social care services. These included supporting the individual rather than being service-focused, modernising the approach to how daytime support is provided, and more use of technology to assist people in remaining independent.
The proposals outlined in the report to the scrutiny committee, which are in line with these messages and at the same time provide opportunities to make savings, include:
- Offering more personalised options to daycare
- Introducing electronic home care monitoring
- Changes to the structure in the assessment and care management teams
- Developing personalised alternatives to residential care
- Reducing the cost of residential placements; for example, through improved liaison with families and service users and negotiations with existing providers
Councillor Gerald Dakin, chairman of the committee, said:
“The council is looking across the board to ensure that services are being delivered in the best way possible. We received an update on changes to the way adult social care services will be delivered in the future and acknowledged the progress made to date.”
Councillor Ann Hartley, Cabinet member with responsibility for adult social care, said:
“We are working to put people at the centre of how they receive their support. Adult social care services have not developed and modernised over the past few decades at the pace required by people’s changing needs.
“The consultation and proposals place the focus on empowering people to choose services tailored to them. During the consultation this is what people told us they wanted, and we are exploring new ways to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community can lead the lives they wish to lead.
“By exploring innovative new ways of offering this we can deliver more efficient services to support and protect families and individuals with more complex social, learning or health needs, and people whose circumstances make them more vulnerable through both appropriate and targeted services.
“Shropshire Council recognises the absolute need to change the way we support the most vulnerable members of our community, to enable people needing care to remain independent for as long as they can, and live healthy, fulfilled lives.”
For more information on adult social care services provided by Shropshire Council go to www.shropshire.gov.uk
