The purpose of this report of the Director of Adult Social Services is to advise that Wirral Council faces a major challenge in meeting rising needs and new legislative requirements through the Care Act as well as improving health and social care responsiveness and performance.  It advised that this had to be done in the context of reducing resources.  The challenge is particularly acute in responding to the needs of people with health and social care needs, where an ageing population together with increasing complexity associated with people with multiple disabilities has continued to drive demand for care and support.

Councillor C Meaden introduced a report by the Director of Adult Social Services that informed  that the Council faced a major challenge in meeting rising needs and new legislative requirements through the Care Act, as well as improving health and social care responsiveness and performance. It had to do this in the context of reducing resources.

The challenge was particularly acute in responding to people with health and social care needs, where an ageing population together with increasing complexity associated with people with multiple disabilities had continued to drive demand for care and support.

The Cabinet noted that the Care Act fundamentally shifted the nature of assessment and support planning. The Council would have a legal duty to meet assessed “eligible needs” for adults. The Act aimed to offer more flexibility in relation to what the person needed and what they wanted to achieve within the care planning process.

The legislative changes drove the need to offer assessment and support planning that was both proportionate to that level of need and based on an approach that recognised the individual’s assets. i.e. enabling people to determine the best way in which their needs could be met utilising their own resources, with any additional support being provided via the local authority.

In order to meet the new legislative requirements and to use resources as effectively as possible, Members noted that it was critical to change the nature of the demand for services, not through focusing on service supply but through reframing how people accessed and were supported by their local communities.

The Director’s report it was necessary to consult on a new framework for the assessment of social care need and to bring the policy framework for social care provision into line with Care Act guidance.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  Cabinet agrees to a period of 12 weeks consultation commencing on 17 November 2014 in order to consult with both:

(a)  the wider public in order to ensure that people who are not currently in receipt of services but could need them in the future have a say;

(b)  people directly impacted by elements of this proposal and to receive a further report in December outlining the outcome and feedback from the consultation.

(2)  a further report be presented to the Cabinet in December 2014 outlining the outcome and feedback from the consultation exercise.