Consultations

We will place on this page, as many local and national consultations as we are sent. If a consultation is deemed to be very important we will send an email link to the site.

Click here for the latest weekly Consultation Bulletin from the Welsh Assembly Government.

Framework of Services for Older People

Work is underway to develop a Framework of Services for Older People. Services must enable people to live as independently as possible, must promote social inclusion, support people at times of difficulty and protect people from harm.

The Framework will make an important contribution to meeting the central objective contained within Fulfilled Lives Supportive Communities: to enable people to live as independently as possible. The work is being led by the former Director of Social Services Wales , Graham Williams and is overseen by a multi-disciplinary steering group.

The Framework will contribute to the achievement of modern, accessible and responsive services capable of meeting people’s needs and of being delivered flexibly, consistently and sustainably across organisational boundaries.

In taking this work forward, it is essential to ensure coherence and consistency with existing strategies, such as the Strategy for Older People for Wales, the national standards set out in the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People in Wales, with the strategy for Managing Chronic Conditions and with Dr Chris Jones’ work developing a Primary and Community Health Strategic Delivery Programme. The intended approach will build on the investment and progress already made in taking forward these policies and will avoid any duplication. It will translate them into a “picture” of services that will:

  • Draw upon existing good practice from across the whole of Wales;
  • Present the service “picture” in a way which relates directly to the concerns service users and carers have about access to the kinds of services which would enable them to live as they would wish;
  • Provide an all Wales Framework within which the planning and delivery of services can be taken forward at a local level whilst still ensuring a degree of service consistency across Wales

A package of objectives has been drawn up for the work with the overall intention of promoting a comprehensive approach to the future delivery of services:

  • To promote the independence of older people
  • To focus on preventing decline and upon reablement
  • To improve outcomes for older people and ensure that the needs and wishes of the individuals or carers where appropriate are central to the assessment and care management process.
  • To strengthen and build upon existing community services to provide appropriate support to people in their homes and community and to provide a comprehensive and responsive model of care.
  • To provide the most appropriate service in the most appropriate setting by the most appropriate people.
  • To ensure that services are responsive to changing need.
  • To avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and ensure that residential care remains a positive choice where that is considered to be appropriate.
  • For organisations to work in real partnership: to reach a shared view on what services and support in the community should look like and to provide them seamlessly.

An integral part of this work is to gather examples of good practice in the provision of services to older people in the community.Submissions are invited detailing examples of services that have made a positive difference to the lives of older people in your area. If there are services out there that have helped change and improve the lives of older people or the lives of families of older people then we want to know about them. If there are gaps in existing services where people need help but cannot get it then we want to know about them.

Michelle Copeman at PAVS will be compiling a response on behalf of the 3rd Sector in Pembrokeshire. To contribute towards this submission, please send information to Michelle by 19th March 2010. Contact information for Michelle can be found here.

Michelle will also be feeding into an all Pembrokeshire response along with colleagues from the Local Authority and Local Health Board, and your submissions will also be included in this response.

Organisations are also free to respond individually, and if you wish to do this, the deadline for submission is 31st March 2010.

 

An information sheet about the Framework can be found here.

A summary of the Framework is available here.

The submission template can be found here.

Individual submissions should be made to - Sarah Austin via Sarah.Austin@wales.gsi.gov.uk or Office of the Director of Social Services Wales,

Welsh Assembly Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.

 

If you would like to provide other information which you think would be helpful, feel free to do so.

All of this infomation is also available on the WAG website at: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/socialcare/olderpeople/?lang=en

 

CALL FOR EVIDENCE

The Independent Commission on Social Services was established to consider the provision of social services and social care in Wales over the next decade and in particular how the Assembly Government can
- support the further development of professional practice
- build inclusive social services based on the contribution of all partners who work in social care
- effect a step change in collaboration between social services and with other key services
- ensure integrated social services capable of meeting the needs of children, young people and adults and older people in the most effective way

The Commission invites interested organisations and individuals to submit written evidence on the issues outlined above. It would be helpful if the evidence could
- Identify strengths in current arrangements
- Identify specific barriers or impediments in current arrangements
- Offer possible ways of overcoming such barriers, with examples

We are keen to receive evidence from as wide a group as possible and recipients are encouraged to draw this to the attention of others who may wish to submit evidence to the inquiry. The deadline for receipt of submissions is 26th February 2010.

In order to help us give full weight to this evidence, each submission should
- be no more than 2,500 words in length.;
- begin with a short summary of the key points in bullet point form;
- have numbered paragraphs; and
- be in Word format with as little use of colour or logos as possible.

A copy of the submission should be sent by email to socialservicescommission@wales.gsi.gov.uk

An additional paper copy should be sent to

David Rich, Secretary
Independent Commission on Social Services in Wales
4th Floor
Crown Buildings
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

All submissions will be considered by the Commission in the course of its work. A reply acknowledging receipt of submissions will be sent to each person or organisation that contributed to this process.

There will be a workshop on this consultation at the next Health and Social Care Networking Event on the 2nd of February.

 

Paying for Care in Wales

Green Paper consultation on options for reform


Any of us may need care and support at some point in our lives. But how should we pay for it?

The current system of paying for care for older and disabled people is over 60 years old, and needs to change if we are to meet increasing demand and higher expectations. We want to create a system that is simpler, fairer and more affordable for individuals, their families and government.

The Welsh Assembly Government wants to know your views on how we should pay for care in the future.

‘Paying for Care in Wales: creating a fair and sustainable system’ was published on 16 November 2009. It sets out a number of options for reforming the current system, and
sets out the main advantages and disadvantages of each. You have until 28 February 2010 to comment on these options and tell us which model you think will work best in
Wales.

To find out more, and have your say, visit www.payingforcareinwales.net or e-mail
payingforcare@wales.gsi.gov.uk

PAVS will compile a response to this consultation following events with the 50+ Forum and the Disability Network.