A document to help give social care providers and people living in Powys an insight into the adult domiciliary care market in the county has been published by the council.
Care and Support at Home in Powys for Adults – A market position Statement 2021/22 sets out the council’s vision for adult home (or domiciliary) care and direct payments – as part of the council’s Vision 2025 corporate plan – as well as some of the challenges the county faces and how the council is working to address these. The document also contains valuable live data relating to domiciliary care delivery across the county.
An example of the challenges facing the sector is recruitment into the home care workforce. Powys County Council has worked with the care sector to introduce the Bronze level of the Powys Pledge. Independent care providers pledge that they will offer a certain level of employment conditions (for example, the National Living Wage and paid travel time at the same level). The council is now working with the sector to move to the Silver level in the near future.
Councillor Myfanwy Alexander is the council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Adult Social Care. She commented: “The private home care sector are key partners for us as we look after our more vulnerable residents and this document provides an insight into this relationship which is so important: we share an aspiration for excellence in the provision of care for our citizens.”
Dylan Owen is Head of Commissioning and Partnership within the council’s social care team.
He explained:
“The council spends some £20m each year on home care provision for adults in Powys – a significant element of the council’s spend, which as well as supporting people to live independently in their own homes, also provides jobs to more than 450 people in Powys.”
“Part of this spend includes the money given to service users who manage their own care through the use of Direct Payments and you can find out more about this method at https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/1573/Direct-Payments.“
The council also has its own domiciliary care workforce which is an additional investment in care and support at home in the county.
The document sets out how, overall, the population is slowly increasing. However the working age population is decreasing significantly which is anticipated to create further pressure on the home care market.
Mr Owen added:
“I should mention that our partners Credu provide support for unpaid carers – for example a husband who supports his wife who has dementia. I cannot say strongly enough how we value the work of unpaid carers in Powys and I’d urge them to contact Credu if they feel that they need support.”
Credu can be contacted via https://www.carers.cymru/credu
It also talks about how information and advice are a crucial part of the wider ambitions to help people live independently for longer. Initiatives the council promotes include:
AskSara – an online self-help guide to illustrate what support is available in the county – Powys County Council – AskSARA (livingmadeeasy.org.uk)
Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO)’s Community Connectors who help people access community services and activities. Community Connectors (pavo.org.uk)
The Powys Befriending Service, which aims to help the over 50s maintain and develop social networks. Befriending (pavo.org.uk)
InfoEngine – online directory of third sector community support across Wales. https://en.infoengine.cymru/
Dewis – directory which works alongside InfoEngine to show private support available. https://www.dewis.wales/
The publication can be found online at https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/11309/Our-Strategies-and-Plans-on-a-Page. If anyone would like a paper copy, please contact the Council’s Commissioning team by emailing [email protected]
