Care shake-up to give users more independence
Jun 10 2008 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post
A BIG shake-up in the way adult social services are provided in Wirral is to be piloted over the next three years.
It aims to provide more support to the elderly and those with learning or physical disabilities so they can lead more independent lives.
In the case of the elderly, the aim is to enable greater numbers to be supported in their own homes rather than going into residential or nursing homes, and to allow adults with disabilities to take part in a range of recreational activities in the wider community.
Cllr Moira McLaughlin, cabinet member for adult social care and inclusion, said the shake-up was driven by the fact that demand for services was increasing as people lived longer, while the council faced increased pressure on its resources.
She added: “We are making it a service which is controlled by the people who use the service, and puts them in the driving seat so they can lead a more active life.
“It is about doing things differently to help more people, not about any reduction in services.”
Cllr McLaughlin said adults with physical or mental disabilities could, for example, be given money in order to buy a football club season ticket, rather than them going to a day centre. “We are giving the people to freedom to choose the kind of services they want to meet their needs, rather than the council saying ‘we know best’ and providing the services we think they want,” she said.
“It is giving those with disabilities the opportunity to engage in useful activities to regain skills and independence.”
Wirral council said the money to provide the new “personalised” service would be met from extra Government money – rising to £1.8bn by 2011 – and by changing the way its own community care budget was spent.
This meant money would be spent on budgets targeted at the needs of the individual, rather than on “block” contracts.
The local authority will also work closely with the NHS and the independent sector so services such as home care and residential care would eventually be completely removed from direct council control.
John Webb, director of Wirral’s department of adult social services, said individual budgets would give the council more flexibility in terms of how it spent its money.
“We will be paying for individually tailored budgets, rather than block contracts that do not always respond to an individual’s needs,” he said.
“We will also be working increasingly closely with primary care trusts, who have their own resources to draw from.
“From a national perspective, the emphasis is very much shifting towards working with the health service and other organisations to provide joined-up services such as care in people’s homes tailored to meet their specific needs.”
The proposals will be presented to Wirral council’s cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Some of the changes being proposed in the social services shake-up are already in operation.
For example, a scheme called “the Assistive Technology Service” provides technology which enables people to remain at home, prevents falls and accidents, and reduce hospital admissions.
It is jointly run by Wirral’s adult social services, the Primary Care Trust, Merseyside Fire Service and Wirral Partnership Homes.
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