Council launches adult social care strategy which aims to promote assistive technologies

Neath Port Talbot councillors have endorsed three new strategic plans to address issues in adult social care, and children and young people’s social care.

Neath Port Talbot Council says it is facing a ‘perfect storm’ of funding pressures, growing demand, ongoing legacy impacts of Covid, inflation, and the cost-of-living crisis.

On 25 January 2024 the council’s social services, Housing and Community Safety Cabinet Board, endorsed the following new strategies containing plans to ‘do things differently’ using assistive technology, home adaptations, and other innovations.

Councillor Jo Hale, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Health, said: “Increasing demand and tightening budgets will add pressures onto services. It’s therefore vital we make the best use of resources to meet people’s needs.

“This means focusing on delivering services differently to prevent delay and needs from escalating; as well as delivering and commissioning the services people need in the most cost-effective way.”

The Adult Social Care Strategy 2023-26, Living the Life I Want aims to “help people help themselves” by supporting unpaid carers, promoting assistive technology, building relationships, and using more prevention and early intervention as well as encouraging volunteering.

The council says that there are now more than 2,150 adults receiving one or more social care services, including nearly 900 in residential or nursing care, 700 receiving domiciliary care, 400 in receipt of direct payments, around 400 adults with a learning disability, more than 100 with a mental health condition, and 150 with a physical disability receiving some form of external care and support.

Neath Port Talbot Council will spend around £99 million this year delivering adult social care. The strategy also involves Glynneath’s Trem y Glyn Care Home coming back into council management with a new role in rehabilitation as well as residential care.

At the same meeting, the Cabinet Board approved the Children and Young People Social Care Strategic Plan 20-23-2026 ,Valuing our children’s future, to help create an environment that works for all children, young people and families in which the council will co-create, co-produce, and commission services for children, young people and families, ensuring they get the right support at the right time.

An Oxfordshire-wide initiative, which helps people to return home from hospital more quickly, has delivered significant improvements for Oxfordshire patients since it was launched in November.