By Cllr David Hare
Adult Social care covers work with a wide range of individuals.
It is intended to support and enable all users, be they older people, people with learning or physical disability as well as individuals with mental health problems, to live as independently and well as possible, given obvious financial constraints.
That ranges from personal care, that is washing, dressing and feeding people as required, to support for individuals to access community facilities, playing as active role in the community as they choose.
Social care takes place in a wide variety of places, it often starts at home, with care support and the introduction of appliances, occurs in day centres where valuable, often community, activities are followed, and is also, obviously, in care or nursing homes.
There is also reablement, often from hospital, where people are supported to get back on their feet after an operation or period of illness. In Wokingham there is also a respite unit where people who generally live with their parents can stay for brief periods to give their parents some time out, perhaps even a holiday without the added pressure of their offspring.
The intention with this unit is to develop ore independent training so that the transfer from living at home to by oneself is not so dramatic for customers or parents.
Although advice and information is available to anyone most care services are only available to those with high care needs and low assets. People are often expected to pay for their care, contributing at least a part of the care cost depending on their assets.
The adult care budget is about £49Million or 40% of the Councils budget and provided services for almost 1,900 people last year.
In Wokingham there are there are about 110 care providers, 52 care homes and about 50 home care providers. The wealth of choice is partly because it is believed that each individual has a right to choose what is most appropriate to their need.
The need for care is steadily increasing, both in numbers and in severity of disability. This means inventive, sometimes technological, developments of services provision is needed to be provided to meet the at least excellent level of care required without a corresponding increase in the budget.
The WBC Hospital Discharge Team saw a 142% increase in people discharged from hospital over the last three years. Numbers doubled in 2020 alone due to the pandemic.
Not all these need care, many do need some form of reablement to help them stand on their own feet (sometimes literally) again.
The priorities are Wokingham adult Care are:
Keeping people safe.
Prevent, reduce and delay the need for formal care and support.
Involve people in their care and support.
Work in partnership and commission services that deliver quality and value for money.
Some of these facts will change with the Adult Care Bill, but that is for another article
Cllr David Hare is the executive member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Services
