A campaign has begun to save Isle of Wight community-based coordinators, who work alongside families and individuals with a range of health needs.
The Local Area Coordination (LAC) service could be axed by the Isle of Wight Council and a full report, prepared by cabinet member for adult social care and mental health champion, Cllr Clare Mosdell, will go before the cabinet at the start of next month.
Each of the nine LACs save IWC £500k over three years
Chief executive of Community Catalysts — who host the national network of LAC programmes — Sian Lockwood, said the service had saved the council an average of half a million pounds over three years for each LAC.
She said:
“Local Area Coordination saves the council significantly more money than it costs by helping people to stay strong and connected within their communities, nurturing the wonderful contribution of local people and reducing demand for and dependency on services.”
Nine local area coordinators
There are nine local area coordinators (LACs) on the Isle of Wight, and a further three were meant to be appointed this year. Currently, Cowes, East Cowes and Whippingham, and Binstead and Wootton are not covered by the service.
LACs support people with disabilities, mental health needs and older people who are looking to improve their well-being. LACs help people identify their strengths, gifts, skills and passions and how they might use them within their community, as well as helping them access and use a range of information and professional services.
Service costs £400k per annum to run
Cabinet member for adult social care and mental health champion, Cllr Clare Mosdell, said the public health budget could not continue to fund the national project which costs just under £400,000 a year.
The council also pays a yearly membership of £9,000 for the service, which has been operating on the Island since 2015. This pays for resources, learning and training and ongoing support.
Mosdell: “We are dictated to by the rules”
Cllr Mosdell said:
“As such, we are dictated to by the rules of that licence, such as the salaries that are paid and the amount of residents that can be looked after. This does not allow us to adapt to change or manage the project ourselves under such constraints.”
Cllr Mosdell said there was never any intention for the public health budget, which she said was already under considerable strain, to continue to fund the project indefinitely, but for other parts of the council to take over funding.
Decision-makers don’t understand isolation
Sue Birch, chair of the Brading Residents Association, said:
“With due respect, I am afraid to say, those making the decision are probably living in a relationship and do not totally understand the problems of isolation.
“There is nothing worse than being alone, with no one to talk to when you need to. What is the old saying, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’.
“Solve this problem and you reduce all the pressures on other services — this is why the LCs are so important, so I cannot fully understand the thinking.”
Last week, the scrutiny committee for adult social care recommended LACs were retained. The final decision rests with the council’s cabinet.
However, Cllr Mosdell said this decision was made without evidence.
The full report will go before the cabinet on 8th November 2018.
Petition gathering pace
As reported by OnTheWight last week, a petition to save the service has been launched by Green Party politician, Vix Lowthion.
