This in from the council, document embedded at the bottom for your convenience. In their own words, Ed
Staff at IW Council-run social care centres for the elderly have expressed interest in taking on the management of their facilities.
The interest was voiced by staff, including those at The Adelaide and The Gouldings Resource Centres in Ryde and Freshwater respectively, during a recent consultation carried out by the council on the future of care services for older people.
The results of this consultation will be discussed by members of the IW Council Cabinet next week (Tuesday 11 October). A report published in advance of the meeting gives feedback on the consultation which was undertaken in the summer involving a range of organisations including Age Concern, Carers UK, the IW Link and NHS IW as well as individuals.
Among points raised were a need for separate and specialist support for people with dementia and those nearing end of life. Respondents also called for a more prompt, responsive and consistent homecare provision, an updated Carers’ Strategy and more ‘one-stop’ information points.
Many respondents praised the service offered at the Gouldings and the Adelaide which, it was felt should be run in future by a ‘not for profit’ organisation. But there was also considerable feedback from members of staff themselves who identified the opportunity to manage these services at arms-length of the council and ultimately completely independently.
The cabinet report states: “The staff recognised that they would want to prepare thoroughly to be able to ensure that the business would be successful in the longer term.
“Therefore they would value a period of time where they could develop the necessary skills and insight. During this time they would be in a position to shape the business in terms of the range of services provided and ensure that they delivered high quality at a price that would enable them to compete in the open marketplace.”
The report recommends that officers, using the results of the feedback, prepare a further report for discussion by cabinet in December.
The consultation was launched at a time when the council is reviewing all services in the light of the need to find savings and as it moves away from providing services directly in favour of securing them from voluntary or private sector providers. The council believes services delivered in this way can be more in tune with the needs of the community and, by saving money in the cost of delivery, the authority can protect the resources required to support the most vulnerable residents.
Image: bloomsberries under CC BY 2.0
