Proposals to consult on the future shape of some adult social care services will be considered by the council’s Executive Board at its meeting on 13 February 2012. Members will be asked to endorse starting a formal consultation on proposed changes to the threshold for eligibility for social care services and the way day care services are delivered.
Councillor Pat Wright, Executive Board member for health, wellbeing and adult services, said: “We made a promise to the people of Warrington that we would do everything possible to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, and we’re holding firm to that promise. It’s appalling that the cuts in funding imposed by the national coalition government are forcing local councils to consider options to reduce critical services. By contrast, this Labour council will do everything possible to make our social care services as efficient and streamlined as possible and to work with those people who rely on this care so that we can continue to help those most in need.
“That’s why we’re looking to invest from our capital programme in specialist provision for people with profound and multiple learning difficulties and in new equipment to help people remain independent in their own homes. But the reality is that the scale of the financial savings we face in Warrington, combined with increasing demand for social care, means that we have to take a fresh look at how we deliver some services.”
She continued: “The way social care services are provided is changing dramatically, moving to individual budgets to give service users greater choice and control and targeting support at preventing people from needing to rely on social care in the first
place. Warrington has been at the forefront of pioneering these new approaches and a much higher proportion of our users now receive support tailored to their needs through personalised budgets. This means that the type of care they’re choosing to buy is no longer a ‘one size fits all’ model and we want to ensure that the kind of day services on offer can also better meet their needs.
“The criteria we use to assess people’s eligibility for social care also needs to be reviewed. We know people don’t want to be reliant on social services for any longer than absolutely necessary, so our focus needs to be on helping people to get back on their feet and to be healthy, safe and independent while targeting more intensive support to those most in need, at the time when they’re most in need.
“Before we make any decisions about the best way to deliver these services in future, we want to hear the views of as many people as possible – from our current service users and their families and carers, about the potential impacts on them and the services they rely upon, to our own employees and partner providers, to other representative groups. If approved at the Executive Board on 13 February, we will embark on a wide-ranging consultation exercise and I give my personal commitment to engaging with and listening to the views of all groups and individuals before we decide how to proceed.”
Cllr Wright concluded: “I know from personal experience how important these services are to the people who use them. Unfortunately the coalition government doesn’t seem to recognise this priority, resulting in local services being starved of national investment. In Warrington, we’ll do what we can to redress the balance so that those most in need know they can continue to rely on vital support.”