Report Finds No Residents Adversely Affected by Changes to Adult Care

Earlier this year, when I was Lead Member for Adult Social Care I led changes to the Council's Eligibility Criteria for Adult Social Care to 'Substantial' and 'Critical'.

I did this to ensure that adult care would be available for people who need it now and in the future - putting social care in Reading on a sustainable footing.

These changes were approved by the Council in March. You can read the full background to this decision - which was far from easy - here.

As I said at the time:

"My priority from now on will be focussing on ensuring the implementation of these policies is carried out as  flexibly and sensitively as possible by the Council's Community Care team which I lead"

The previous Lib Dem-Conservative Coalition Cabinet of which I was a member delegated the implementation plan for these changes to the Director Housing and Community Care in consultation with the Lead Councillor responsible for Adult Care.

Labour attacked me for this approach at the time. I put my trust in experienced professionals. In my view ppoliticians should lead policy-making not meddle in the implementation of Council policies - particularly in areas where they lack professional expertise.

Labour councillors also accused me of cutting services from vulnerable people.

An update report on access to adult social care services, requested by Labour councillors which went to Cabinet last night and which has been widely trailed in the local media proves that the approach we took was the right one and Labour got it wrong.

The report describes the individual reviews that have been undertaken to determine eligibility of people in receipt of care packages with 'Greater Moderate needs'.

The report provides evidence for Cabinet to satisfy itself about the safe implementation of the change in eligibility criteria, namely that it:

• is fair and equitable
• is not having a major or adverse impact on people who have had their needs assessed at being a greater moderate level
• provides appropriate advice, help and support to those people who have lower level needs but would benefit from continuing help and support
• meets the legal tests set in the Birmingham judgement

The report clearly shows that these tests have been met.

The key paragraph is this one:

'The majority of clients who have now received a personal review to reassess their level of need have continued to receive services as a result of their recorded needs having been revised into a higher banding.'

I've read the report and nowhere does it suggest that any resident currently receiving care has been adversely affected. This is welcome, important news.

When I launched the changes earlier this year I said it would be absolutely vital that reviews were carried out carefully to ensure that no-one lost out.

This report shows that the modelling officers did of the changes were accurate. In many cases residents who were in the 'Moderate' category have moved up a band and are receiving in more care rather than less.

The impact of the Council's highly-successful Reablement programme continues to deliver astonishing results - with many people with a range of support needs being reabled to live independently in their own homes without needing to rely on formal care.

This is a great outcome for those individuals and it helps ensure public money goes further - focussing on those people who can't cope without help and support from the Council or other care providers.

The report goes into great detail about the outcomes of reviews.

As a keen supporter of greater transparency, If I were lead member I would be more than happy to publish this information.

However, the difference between me and my Coalition colleagues last year is that we were prepared to front up and take tough decisions.

On evidence of the past few years there is no way that Labour councillors would have taken the decisions that needed to be taken on adult care.

The best they can do is monitor the decisions taken by others braver than them.

Making these changes will lead to savings of around £250,000 from the Council's budget.

This is important.

Why? because the Council is currently facing £2 million pounds worth of in-year pressures linked to rising demand for adult care.

This is about reforming our community care policies so they are fit for purpose and so we can help people not just now but in the future.

How would Labour deal with these pressures? Cut spending on other Council services?

Introduce demand management?

We'll never know.

One thing is clear Labour would always rather hide behind officers and other politicial parties when it comes to making difficult decisions such as these.

Politicians aside, it's people who matter and last night I thanked the outstanding team working in adult social care on Reading Borough Council - from social workers to senior management who have managed these changes safely and effectively.

I also thanked the residents and their families who have been so patient during this process.

Backing carers - Reading's hidden heroes

Today an elderly constituent  I've known for many years and who I have assisted with various local issues came to visit me at our ward surgery.

We talked about the issue she had come to raise (relating to planning) and after a few minutes it transpired that she had recently become a full-time carer to her husband.

I had no idea about this and as I asked her about what support she was getting at home.

 It soon became clear that not only was she not getting any support but that she didn't realise that she was entitled to any.

I asked her when the last time was she had a day off.

She told me she couldn't remember.

When I probed a bit further she said she had been forced to rearrange the house so they could both sleep downstairs as due to disability her husband couldn't get up the stairs anymore.

They have a bath but a shower would be more convenient.
Her neighbour was able to help her with a few things including getting the shopping.

I immediately made a note of her needs and said I would ask the Council's social services team to contact her to see what support she could be given.

It struck me that had I not digged deeper I might never have found out that my constituent was a carer.

It is not something that people will always bring up in conversation in the street or on the doorstep.

That is why I make a point of saying to people that I am here to help them whenever I am out and about in the ward.

But it is not possible for me as a councillor to speak to every single resident.

This is a major challenge for the Council: how to respond to the needs of a resident who is not 'in the system' who they are not aware of.

It got me thinking about the numbers of residents who carer for family, friends and neighbours in Reading, soldiering on in often difficult circumstances and what we can do to support them better.

Talking to my constituent it became obvious that it had not occured to her to ask me or the Council for help.

This was partly because she didn't think she needed it (she felt as a wife of 30 years plus it was just something she had to do) and partly because she didn't know help was available.

This is evidence of the work that still needs to be done to publicise support for carers and to do more to encourage carers to come forward.

When I was Lead Member for Social Care I placed support for carers at the heart of our approach.

Our agenda was not simply about supporting carers in their role but helping them live their own lives.

What did this mean in practice?

Answer -  supporting people to get breaks by giving them access to funded respite care and a personal budget to spend on things that help them live their lives.

I have met carers who have benefited from this approach - many of whom carried on in silence for years because they didn't know support was out there for them.

This made me feel even more strongly that we must not overlook people who care for others in their own homes.

And with an ageing population the number of people who do this is set to increase.

I have personal experience of family members who have been carers and their selflessness has made a big impact on me.

In March I wrote on my blog:

"As an administration we are committed to placing support for carers at the heart of all our policies and at the top of our local agenda for transforming community care."

I said this because despite the fact Labour councillors regularly congratulate themselves on their social care record the reality is (backed up by the Council's own research) was that Council policies failed to meet the needs of carers.

When I led this portfolio I increased support for carers while other councils were cutting it.

Cutting support for carers was not something me or other members of the Lib Dem - Conservative Coalition Administration were prepared to do.

Whilst councils rightly focus on people who receive formal social care they must not ignore those people who currently fall outside the system.

A survey of 900 carers by the Council in 2010 (when it was controlled by Labour) identified the following key areas for action:

• Supporting carers to get breaks
• Promoting the take-up of Direct Payments from the Carers
• Offering back up support for carers in an emergency
• Helping new and existing carers access information and guidance on support and services.

Work I kicked off this year to respond to identified needs of local carers includes:

• Continuing the Carers Steering Group to ensure local agencies continue to collaborate for the benefit of carers
• Making a positive contribution by ensuring carers are including in service development
• Improved quality of life through raising awareness of services available and to engage with other providers to negotiate better access to services for carers
• Encouraging take up from underrepresented groups, RBC has funded an additional BME carer support group to complement existing ones offered by PRT
• Working with JobCentre Plus to make sure employers in Reading are aware of flexible working rights for carers
• Community development work alongside the Thriving Neighbourhoods Programme to ensure carers are identified
• A series of events in 2011 to link in with national events and promote carer rights, support available to them and how to access this.

At national level, Lib Dem Minister Paul Burstow has led this agenda helping to put Lib Dem values and policies around supporting carers into action.

I know Paul quite well and I know he is personally very committed to increasing support for carers which goes to the core of Lib Dem values around valuing the individual and reciprocity.
 
The Coalition Government’s Agreement sets out that the Government will look to provide increased support to carers particularly through:

• Extending the roll-out of personal budgets to give people and their carers more control and purchasing power;
• Using Direct Payments to carers and better community based provision to improve access to respite care;
• Extending the right to request flexible working to all employees, consulting with business on how best to do so; and
• Establishing a commission for long-term care which will consider how to ensure responsible and sustainable funding for long-term care.

In 2010 the Council estimated that there are around 11,000 carers in Reading

My guess is the actual number is even higher.

I am pleased I was able to identify a carer in my ward today and hope I will be able to play my part in helping her to have a better quality of life.

I will be challenging the Labour administration to continue to the work I led which placed carers at the heart of social care policies as I feel strongly we owe it to residents who care for others to do the best by them.

Labour's Social Care Plans Could Cost Residents Dear

Reading Labour state in their local election manifesto that they would reverse our plans to introduce charges for people who could afford to pay for day care services.

They also say they would suspend our reforms and launch a full review of the service.

These pre-election pledges are both costly and risky.

I have already demolished Labour's arguments against day care charges (which compare very favourably to those charged by neighbouring councils and the private sector) but I thought it was worth explaining what Labour's ill-thought out plans actually mean to the Council's budget, local services and taxpayers in Reading.

In March the Council agreed plans I had been developing with officers over a period of months to transform community care so that was fair to all and sustainable in the long term.

They are designed to ensure that vulnerable people who need services get them at a time when the number of people needing social care is increasing due to an ageing population.

This decision has wider ramifcations which are now being felt across the Council.

Our reforms to adult social care mean that taxpayers will avoid £3.8 million pounds worth of cost pressures linked to social care over the next three years.

• Enabling the Council to increase funding to the voluntary sector - one of the few councils to do this
• Enabling the Council increase support available to unpaid carers.
• Helping the Council to keep vital services like libraries and leisure services open.
• Helping to reduce the finanical burden on Council Taxpayers.

If after the election Labour failed to implement these plans immediately the cost to taxpayers would be £100,000 per month.

So we return to the question which services would Labour cut to pay for their pre-election promises?

To which Labour's manifesto fails to provide any answers.

Before the Council agreed our plans to transform community care services in March a full public consultation and equality impact assessment was carried out.

• Over 20 individual consultation meetings were held.
• Over 1,000 public comments were submitted.

And Labour's former Lead Member for Community Care Cllr Mike Orton commented that our plans would indeed protect the most vulnerable.

With just days to go before the local elections Labour now say they would rip up the consultation findings, the policies agreed in Council, and  at the Budget set in February in favour of a new review of the service.

This would cause huge disruption and concern to many vulnerable people and their carers who receive services from the Council just months after they were first consulted.

And why? Just so Labour could score a few political points.

Adult social care is too important to become a political football.

I have put the work in build a system that works for the future.

Labour councillors routinely ducked the tough choices but we haven't.

As I said in March:

'There is only one compassionate, sustainable and equitable option on the table this evening.


I urge members across this Council to support it"

Reading Labour - Out of Touch on Adult Social Care

Earlier this week, a neighbour pulled out of her red recycling bin a Labour leaflet which has a go at the Coalition Administration for introducing new charges for day care in Reading.

This was not an easy decision but like most things it was one we had to take after Labour failed to manage the budget responsibly when they ran the Council.

Following a detailed public consultation we agreed to phase in the introduction of charges to enable people affected time to adapt to the change.

The approach I led constitutes responsible policy-making - in contrast to blatant electioneering, on Labour's part.

In their leaflet, Labour provide readers with a guide to ‘what you could buy with £43 pounds'.

It neglects to mention that 40 % of people who receive care including day care will not  by charged under our plans – not even £5.90 they currently pay under Labour's social care policies.

This leaflet says a lot about Labour in Reading. It illustrates just how out of of touch they are when it comes to adult social care.

The fact that that Labour's menu of choices includes a meal for two at the L’Ortolan – an upmarket restaurant on the outskirts of Reading says rather more about Labour councillors' eating habits than it does about social care.

But this pathetic leaflet misses the point in two very important ways.

Firstly, it misses the point about how we are transforming and personalising social care services - something Labour failed to do when they were in charge.

Secondly, it fails to explain how Labour would fund social care when demand for services is rising.

Because if Labour didn't introduce charges for some services we can only assume they would cut services.

The Lib Dems in Reading are committed to giving all residents more choice, better services and protecting services to vulnerable people.

We view residents as individuals not passive recipients of services.

We care about meeting people's needs so they can reach their full potential - regardless of the challenges they face.

Residents are not forced to spend their personal budget or their own hard-earned cash on particular services or buy them from particular providers.

Residents are encouraged to purchase the services which give them best outcome for themselves or the people they care for.

Under our proposals, and the reforms being brought forward by the Coalition Government choice over things that really matter to people including social care lies not with civil servants or politicians but with residents themselves.

Unlike Labour, the Lib Dems locally and nationally are committed to giving local people more choice over services in future, not less.

Labour’s record and rhetoric on social care

For years when Labour were in charge in Reading the Council was run under the mantra ‘Council services are best'.

Sadly their aspiration did not result in excellent services or outcomes for residents or carers.

When I was Chair of community care Scrutiny in Reading for two years I challenged officers and councillors to provide better services following the publication of several highly critical external inspection reports by the Care Quality Commission.

It was very clear from these external inspections that for many years (when Labour were running the Council) adult social care services were lacking and did not match up to other councils.

And this - when public spending was at its height.

Adult social care services in Reading have now improved substantially thankfully.

At national level Labour ministers attempted to introduce more person-centred social care but Labour councillors in Reading resisted this as it posed a threat to their local model of 'Council knows best'.

They put politics before people.

Why? Because Labour in Reading are not interested in giving local people power and control over their lives.
Labour in Reading are just interested in power.

Hence their leaflet – another desperate attempt to win votes by attacking other parties and failing to put forward any details of how they would pay for their policies

And hence Labour's opposition to personalisation and offering residents real choice.

The most recent example of their flawed approach can be seen in relation to bin collections, when Labour councillors tried to stop the Council giving Reading residents more choice over refuse collections.

When Labour made major changes to waste collections they didn’t consult residents and the decision was made after the local elections, not before.

Why offer personalised services?

Personal budgets are about allowing people to buy services which best meet their or their families needs.

They are about allowing every individual to reach their full potential.

They are about residents getting maximum value from every pound they spend.

The Coalition Government has pledged to increase personal budgets to more people.

Because not everyone has the same needs. And the state does not always know best.

We need to trust residents to make the right decisions – with professional advice and support from social workers and trained staff.

The carer I met on Monday with Care Services Minister Paul Burstow MP explained how she had spent direct payments from the Council not on care but on a gardening because this gave her the peace of mind she was seeking.

Since her husband had suffered a stroke a few years ago gardening has become a real burden on her to the point that the couple were on the point of having to move.

Getting a gardener in has meant one less thing for her to worry about, on top of her caring role.

A few years ago buying this service would not be an option for her. She would not have had a choice.

When Labour ran the Council carers needs did not come first and carers did not get the breaks they needed.

The Lib Dems want to support carers better so we are actively investigating ways to help them increase their independence even further.

Why charge for social care?


The second reason Labour’s leaflet misses the point is that it fails to explain how they as a Party would finance social care in Reading.

The charge we have set for day care services reflects the costs they cost us as a Council to provide.

Social care services have never been free they have always been means tested.

Our day care charges compare to:

• Around £80 pounds per day charged by Wokingham Borough Council.
• Around £200 per day in the private sector.

Under Labour’s policies, Council Tax Payers heavily subsidised the actual cost of providing day care to people who had been assessed as being able to afford to make a contribution towards their care.

This resulted in the Council’s social care budget being overspent every single year.

Thanks to the financial mess Labour nationally have left us the Council is no longer in a position to operate on this kind of basis.

If we operated adult social are the way Labour did we would need to close other services such as libraries this year to balance the books.

But unlike many Labour councils – we haven’t closed a single library or Sure Start centre in Reading.

This is thanks to the prudent way in which we have managed the budget.

So we've learnt something from Labour's election leaflet: the Labour Party in Reading are campaigning against increasing choice and control for residents and against measures which help protect services to the vulnerable.

Bear this in mind when you come to cast your vote in Reading on 5 May.

Minister Paul Burstow MP Backs "Clear Plan of Action for the People of Reading"



Today it was a pleasure to welcome Paul Burstow MP - Care Services Minister to Reading. This is the second ministerial visit we have had in recent weeks in support of our local election campaign - following Andrew Stunell MP's visit a few weeks ago.

The Lib Dem team in Reading works hard all year round to improve the lives of local residents so it is nice to get support and recognition for what we do from senior figures within the Party and within Government.

I was particularly pleased Paul Burstow chose to visit us as social care is one of the issues closest to my heart. 

Like me Paul is passionate about this area of policy- in particular improving the lives of vulnerable people and championing the rights of carers - the unsung heroes in our community.Thanks to the hard work done by Paul Burstow and his team improving care and support for carers and vulnerable people is right at the heart of national government policy and The Coalition Agreement.

I have got to know Paul quite well as he holds regular conference calls with councillors so he can keep us up to speed with issues in Government and so more importantly we can feed key issues and concerns back to him.

I had been badgering Paul to come and visit us for a while. He has had a good excuse having been very busy leading the Coalition Government's health and social care agenda for the Lib Dems.

Paul Burstow came to Reading to help us launch our Local Election Manifesto: "Six to Fix".

This is focussed around 6 broad themes:

1. Cut waste, protect services and keep taxes low.
2. Protect services to the vulnerable.
3. A cleaner and greener Reading.
4. Cutting crime in Reading.
5. Giving children and young people the best start in life.
6. Better housing and decent neighbourhoods for all.

I sent Paul a copy of our manifesto before he arrived and he told me:

 'It looks like a solid record of delivery and clear plan of action for the people of Reading."

Paul was a councillor in Sutton for a number of years before he became an MP and has visited many councils up and down the country so I really respect his opinion.

 I talked to him about the work I have led to transform adult social care in Reading to make it fairer and more sustainable. We also talked at length about the work we have been doing in Reading to help improve the lives of carers.

Cllr Kirsten Bayes talked to Paul about the work she has led to balance the Council's budget whilst protecting vital services - no easy task.

After the manifesto launch in Forbury Gardens we took Paul to meet a couple who live in West Reading who have benefited from Direct Payments. She is a full-time carer to her husband who suffered from a Stroke a few years ago.

Direct Payments enable carers and the people they care for to choose what they spend their personal budget on. The Coalition Government is looking to extend this to a wider range of people in the future. 

I have got to know this lovely couple through my work as Lead Councillor for Community Care in Reading. I went to meet them a few of weeks ago to learn first hand about their experiences with self-directed support to help inform my decisions around social care in Reading.

I was very keen to see how they were doing and introduce them to Paul who I know cares deeply about these issues. 

Paul listened intently to what they had to say and talked about the Government's desire to promote choice and independence for people through the reforms he is leading on social care.

Speaking to the residents afterwards they said they enjoyed meeting Paul and really liked his informal style. He really knows his stuff so it was great to hear what he had to say.

I also picked up a few pointers from the visit about how we can make life easier for carers around planning respite care. I will be taking these issues up with Council officers to see what we can do to help carers.

Paul seemed very impressed by what he saw in Reading today and has promised to return to see the work we are doing again soon.

Cabinet Agrees To Increase Supported Living Accomodation in Reading

Yesterday evening at Cabinet we took an important step in agreeing to enable officers to identify more properties in Reading to be converted into supported living accomodation for people with learning difficulties.

Officers will now look into converting four existing properties into supported living accomodation.

We have an urgent need in Reading for more appropriate accomodation to enable the growing number of adults with learning difficulties in our community to live more independent lives.

As an administration we are strongly committed to increasing choice, control and independence for all residents to help everyone get the most out of life.

This decision is not only good news for residents with learning difficulties themselves, but Council Taxpayers too.  Supported living placements tend to be around 50% cheaper than residential placements so this move will help limited public funds go further, helping to reduce the need to increase Council Tax.

Council Agrees Plan to Transform Adult Social Care in Reading

Other Reading councillors may wish to comment on their blogs or elsewhere on the politics of yesterday's Council meeting.

However, from my point of view the most significant issue on the Council's agenda yesterday was in relation to Transforming Social Care - a programme I have led since May 2010 and written about here extensively.

The meeting where our proposed new policy was to be debated was the culmination of many weeks of deliberation and consultation, in which over one thousand individual responses were submitted by the public and over 27 consultation meetings held by Council officers.

This is the beginning rather than the end of a long process to make Reading's social care policies fairer and more sustainable.

I am pleased that this plan was agreed by Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors so we can move forward and ensure our services can meet the needs of the local population.

The response from Labour councillors was depressingly predictable as they attempted to use this sensitive issue to score political points ahead of the local elections rather than work with us to plan for the future.

Labour tabled a series of ill-conceived, ill-considered amendements which failed to help the Council meet its objectives in relation to adult social care and which were I'm pleased to say roundly rejected by Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors.

Overall I found the lack of understanding of the subject matter demonstrated by so many opposition councillors in their contributions yesterday evening  deeply disappointing considering these plans have been known for some time and have gone through two scrutiny meetings, public consultation and more recently Cabinet.

Even if councillors couldn't be bothered to attend briefing meetings they would have found most if not all the answers to their questions in the detailed report to Council.

The debate inside the Council chamber at least is now over for the time being.

My priority from now on will be focussing on ensuring the implementation of these policies is carried out as  flexibly and sensitively as possible by the Council's Community Care team which I lead.

For the record, the speech I made last night to introduce the report to Council is attached below:

"This report concerns one of the most important steps we as a Council must take: to Transform our community care services in Reading.

• To ensure our services protect the most vulnerable
• To ensure our services are sustainable
• To make best use of public money and local resources
• And to ensure our services are fair as possible to all

I believe there is a consensus across this Council that moving in this direction is the right thing today.

Cllr Orton who has been a councillor for far longer than I have said at Cabinet agrees “on principle” with what we are proposing tonight.

And during the Budget meeting he said that our plans “would protect the vulnerable”.

The report contains carefully considered plans to move to a system of care focussed around the needs of individuals in our community where:

• People who need social care in Reading receive it quickly and easily
•  Elderly and vulnerable people are enabled to lead the most fulfilling lives they can
• Carers who selflessly provide care get the support they need
•  And those who can afford to pay for care make a fair contribution towards their care

In developing our plans we have consulted widely and listened carefully to what people have had to say.

We have undertaken a detailed Equality Impact Assessment to ensure our policies do not do harm to any individual or group.

We have listened to comments from service users and carers – over 1100 of them and changed our plans accordingly.

I have held individual meetings people with specific concerns including Freda Potten and Tina Barnes from the Friends of Albert Road Day Centre.

Change

I understand that even if it is the right thing to do, change can be hard particularly for older people and carers.

So we are committed to being flexible and sensitive about the way we implement new policies.

Councillors should remember 40 % of people who receive care including day care will not charged under our plans – not even £5.90.

Our charges reflect well when compared to neighbouring authorities and the private sector.

4.1 in the report sets out the delegation agreed at Cabinet to the Director of Housing and Community to develop an implementation plan.

This is not a cliff edge and there is a safety net :

We will prioritise financial assessments for people already using Day Care services.

Residents who are assessed a no longer being eligible for care will be supported for up 6 months to find alternative support in the community.

This Council takes safeguarding seriously If residents needs increase or their condition deteriorates this will be picked up straight away.

For too long this Council when it was under Labour control operated policies completely oblivious to the financial realities.

This administration operates policies within the Councils’s means.

This year the Council has had to find £19 million pounds worth of savings.

Despite this I have balanced the Community Care Budget– for the first time in many years.

And working with Liberal Democrat and Conservative colleagues helped keep vital services such as libraries and leisure service open – where Labour councils have closed theres.

By changing our policies in the way described in the report:

• This Council will save £600,000 over three years.
• And avoid growth pressures which would have cost this Council £1.5million pounds.

This is not about cutting services to the vulnerable because the vulnerable will be protected.

This administration has increased support to the voluntary sector which supports thousands of needy residents in Reading to £1.7million.

We will still spend around £40 million pounds on social care this year.

£400k to provide more advice, breaks and support for carers.

And we will continue to fund Integrated immediate care services.

There is only one compassionate, sustainable and equitable option on the table this evening.

I urge members across this Council to support it."

Local businesses invited to lend vulnerable residents a helping hand

Do you or anyone you know run a business or voluntary group in Reading which might be able to help elderly and vulnerable residents in Reading with practical tasks?

If so the Council's community care team would like to hear from you.

As I have said many times in Reading an increasing number of people need help around the home, due to illness, disability or old age so they can stay active and independent as long as possible.

This increase is putting a huge pressure on the Council's budget which is why Cabinet agreed earlier this week to move to a more sustainable system of social care which protects the vulnerable.
The Council can no longer afford to provide services in the same way and there is a need to expand the range of services available to residents in the community.

Aside from affordability, the Council is not always best placed in the community to provide services to residents.

We want to encourage a range of providers to develop services to help improve choice and value for money for residents.
With this in mind the Council's fantastic community care team has organised 'Helping Hand' – an event for local organisations to find out how they can develop their businesses to support vulnerable people in Reading with practical tasks and other jobs around the home such as shopping, laundry, gardening and cleaning.

People who need assistance are looking for trustworthy, friendly and reliable firms to help them live their lives more independently.

The event will give local organisations the opportunity to talk to the Council about the services they may be able to offer, and how to market these effectively to customers with care and support needs.

The Council would also like to hear from residents who are thinking of starting up a new business venture and will discuss with them how they can attract customers and ensure residents have a wide range of services to choose from. .

Helping Hand takes place on Thursday, April 7th, in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Reading, from 10am-1pm. The event is free, but places need to be booked by Friday, March 25th.

For more information or to book a place contact, housingstrategyteam@reading.gov.uk or call 0118 937 2383.

Towards Sustainable Adult Community Care Services in Reading

I was pleased that yesterday evening the proposals I have been leading in recent months to put social care in Reading on a more sustainable footing were agreed by Cabinet and won support in principle from Labour councillors.

I have been working day and night to develop these proposals and taking these decisions is never easy. I believe they form part of a planned transition from an outdated, unsustainable way of doing things towards a better future for services to our most vulnerable residents.

I pointed out to Cllr Orton and other public detractors who have criticsed me as heartless and uncaring that I came into politics not for any love of public finances but because I care deeply about people.

I responded to two petitions at the meeting - one from the Green Party (which I previously published here) and one from Freda Potten. I went to meet Freda in the morning with officers and I have promised to keep talking to her to ensure that concerns she has around Albert Road Day Centre are addressed in the future.

I also responded to questions from Reading Mencap about how we will be supporting carers.

Below are snippets from the presentation I gave:

Coalition Priorities

• Work to develop appropriate policies and high quality funded services to address the increasing service needs of the ageing population in Reading
• Retain the current eligibility criteria for social care for the rest of the financial year

Key Questions

In developing community care policies in Reading I have continually challenged officers around the following questions:

• Will this policy protect the most vulnerable in our community?
• Will this policy be financially sustainable in the longer term?
• Does this policy deliver value for money taxpayers?

I am satisfied that the direction of travel of our policies addresses these key questions.

One size does not and must not fit all

• Transforming community care services is about building services that fit local people's needs
• Subsidising services is both costly and unfair
• We must extend the user of personal budgets to increase choice and control for carers and service users
• We are maintaining and extending community and voluntary support
• We are improving and extending support carers as well as service users

We have listened

• We had a tremendous response to our community care consultation
• I would like to thank each and every person who responded with their views
• Feedback showed that services for vulnerable adults in Reading are highly valued
• There is a good understanding amongst residents of a need to make changes to our policies to make them more sustainable
• Specific problems were raised in relation to charges
• Respondents identified that more help and support is needed for carers
• The report and recommendation to Cabinet reflects this

Who will be affected by changes to community care policies?

• Around 40% of service users will not have to pay anything under the new system (if they are assessed as being unable to afford to pay)
• This will include a proportion of people who are currently paying for services
• More than three quarters of people currently classed as with moderate care needs are likely to move into substantial or critical need after assessment so will continue to receive support
• We estimate that less than one third of service users who are assessed as moderate will be signpost to other services in the community

How will the new system work?

• We have produced a full equality impact aassessment of these proposals and I am satisfied that all potential risks can be mitigated
• Individual assessments for care and finances will be carried out for everyone currently assessed as moderate
• Everyone in the moderate band will receive access to ou free reablement service. 60 % of people who use this successful service have required no further services from the Council
• Ther will be free signposting advice about voluntary and community sector activity they can access
• All cases where a possible safeguarding issue are detected will be treated as critical
• New charges for services will be phased in over a period of 6 months to help people adjust

A more sustainable service

• More people with more complex needs are approaching the Council for help
• Our plans save nearly £1.5 million pounds over 3 years
• Lower demand means a more sustainable future
• If we did not tackle growth pressures we would have to cut services elsewhere
• This helps us to protect valued services provided by the Council

The Council's overall budget position

• We need to make savings next year of over £18 million pounds
• We have maintained our commitment to discretionary spend e.g. carers, libraries, parks and leisure services
• We have increased our budget for voluntary and community groups
• We are still spending over £40 million pounds next year on adult social care services

In responding to my presentation, rather than attacking my vision or the broad principles I set out Reading Labour councillors chose to criticis our implementation plan. This was not tabled as a detailed plan will be developed by officers in consultation with me as lead councillor. I am not a trained social worker so I will be taking professional advice from my officers about the safest way to implement these changes. It is obviously important that we get the implementation of these policies right and I will be keeping a close eye on things to ensure we do.

I stressed several times that we could not make definitive plans for services without knowing what the service needs of all our residents are. But we would continue to work to ensure that during the transition they and their carers get the support they need.

Given Labour ran the Council in Reading for 23 years I found it a bit strange that they did not attempt to defend the way they funded services in the past. In fact they didn't put forward any counter arguments at all.

This is sad as it highlights the fact that in the main their criticisms have been politically motivated rather than motivated by any real desire to improve services.

I pointed out that given that Labour failed to put forward any kind of credible alternative budget last month (and only identified £500k of savings in next years' Budget) the Council will only be discussing one set of proposals to transform social care in Reading when it comes to approve these plans at full Council on 29 March.

Cllr David Stevens asked me how our planned charges for services compared with neighbouring authorities and the private sector. I pointed out that in both Wokingham and West Berkshire charges were almost double and that in one private sector day service in Reading the day rate was £200 per day - so I am confident our charges of £43 are not excessive.

I am confident that the plan I put forward and that was agreed yesterday by Cabinet represents the safest, fairest and most sustainable future for adult care services in Reading. I am personally responsible for adult safeguarding so I will be working overtime to ensure that the transition is carried out as safely and humanely as possible.

Responding to local concerns on charging for care

Last weekend Reading Borough Council's consultation on the future of adult social care came to an end.
We received over 1,000 responses from residents - I am delighted that we managed to get feedback from so many carers, service users and interested parties.As I have commented here before residents in Reading care deeply about social care. I am very grateful to everyone who took part as it helps me and my Cabinet colleagues make an informed decision on 14 March. I will be attending the scrutiny event on 10 March where issues identified in the consultation will be discussed in more detail.
As part of the consultation the Council consulted on it's fairer charging policy as there is a pressing need to make public funds go further if we are to be able to cope with the increasing demands of an ageing population.
The first thing to say is that social care has always been a a means-tested service. That said almost half of people who currently receive adult social care services will not be affected by the revised charging policy.
In Reading for many years when it was Labour controlled the Council has been subsidising people who can afford to pay.
While seemingly generous this short-sighted approach has put huge pressure on the Council's budget.
This year alone the Council has had to manage pressures of  £2 million pounds on the planned adult care budget as a result of increased numbers of people using our services.
In order to fix the budget and safeguard vulnerable people we proposed in the consultation to move to a system where charges better reflected the true cost of our services and that those who were assessed as being able to pay would pay for services.
Locally there has been coverage in the local media of fears that increased charges for daycare services could risk putting them potentially out of reach of some residents. These fears were also expressed during the consultation. I have listened carefully to these concerns and taken residents' fears on board whilst I have been working with officers to develop a new charging policy. 
I would like to pay tribute to local pensioner Freda Potten and Tina Barnes of the Friends of Albert Road Day Centre for the way in which they have brought these concerns to my attention and championed the needs of older people in Reading.
In response to the issues they and others have raised I am recommending that officers develop an implementation plan that helps identify residents receiving care who might be impacted by charging changes.
This is likely to take the form of a phased approach to increasing charges. As part of the introduction of the new policy all residents who currently receive care from the Council will receive a financial assessment. If this assessment picks up potentially difficulties officers of the Council will work with residents to help them pay for care.
It is worth pointing out that staying within budget on adult social care this year - something that never happened under the previous Labour administration of the Council means we have greater flexibility to support vulnerable people. If we had not tackled the overspend we would have no wriggle room at all.
These are not easy decisions to take but I have done my utmost to be as open as I can about the challenges we face as a Council and as a community. I have focussed on protecting the vulnerable as my top priority and doing my best to put the Council's budget on a more sustainable footing.
I will be blogging about other issues that have arisen in the consultation in the coming days.

First Person

This week the Reading Evening Post published a 'First Person' article written by me on the tough choices we face in social care in Reading. Read it here.

Budget speech

Below is the speech I planned to make on the Budget last night.

In the end I gave a much edited version due to the large number of poorly thought out, ill-conceived and politically-motivated amendments to the Coalition's proposed Budget tabled by the Labour Group at full Council last night which meant that the meeting to agree next year's Budget did not finish until about 12am.

"The need to set a fair, balanced budget for this Council, has never been more urgent or more important:

• Over 900 members of the public have had their say via the Council’s first ever ‘Have Your Say’ consultation.
• Over 600 people have responded so far to our social care consultation.

Now it is time for Reading’s political parties to put their cards on their table.

Or rather put their money where their mouth is.

As the outgoing Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne observed: “There is no money left”

And the Labour Party’s dire financial legacy he spoke of is now having a profound effect on us here in Reading.

None of us on this side, least of all me went into politics to inflict damage on local public services or harm the life chances of individuals – quite the opposite.

When the Coalition was formed we were united in agreement that that we must make the best of resources available to us to help protect the most vulnerable in our community and fund the services local people value.

We were under no illusion that the challenges we faced would be easy but we firmly believed there was a better way of doing things, focussed more on outcomes than inputs and longer term stability than quick fix.

The Liberal Democrat and Conservative Groups in Reading have embraced new politics -

Putting aside narrow political interest to work together for the good of the people of Reading.

In the course of preparing for this important debate I was struck recently by something Theodore Roosevelt said.

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing”

The do nothing option is not open to us.

In my area of housing and community care demand for affordable housing is rising and the number of older people and vulnerable people needing support grows year on year.

In health, after record investment by the last Government we find pockets of serious deprivation leading to health inequalities across the Borough that we must tackle.

There will always be budget pressures in Community Care and Housing regardless of the financial situation the Council is in.

However, the public finances are not a bottomless pit.

In 2009/10 when the Council was Labour controlled Adult Social care overspent its budget by £1million.

This is not something this Council can afford to do any longer.

How we respond to this financial challenge says a lot about us as an administration.

•  In this financial year (2010/11) the Council's Housing Community Care Directorate has managed growth pressures of around £2.3 million and is predicted to break even at year end.
•  In 2011/12 this administration is proposing a budget for Adult Social Care Services of £43.27m
• To meet these growing social care needs the Council is proposing to increase funding in 2011/12 by £2.6m, with the majority of this funding supporting individuals with Learning Disabilities (£0.9m) and Older People (£0.84m).
• Adult Services are have a targeted expenditure savings and income generation programme that is supporting the Council to achieve the £18.8m savings target of £5.2m.
• These savings are mainly part of the transformation of Adult Services and are focused on areas of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the services
• On Housing, this administration has gone out and secured funding from government for much needed extra-care housing to provide homes for older people
•  We will be investing £10 million pounds in improving Council properties and £400,000 in improving local estates
• Next month sees a report to Cabinet on generating income for the Council by providing a housing repairs service to Wokingham borough council – helping to make our own service to our tenants more sustainable
• On empty homes this Council is continuing to support efforts to bring long term empty homes back into use where other Council is cutting back
• On Community Care this Council is leading the way on reablement services and active ageing helping hundreds of residents regain their independence

Let’s be clear this budget will protect the vulnerable.

In social care we are proposing to move to a system which makes public money go further,

As system where those who are assessed as needing support but who are unable to afford pay will continue to receive care free.

• We have rejected proposals to cut back on domestic violence support – there was an error in the papers
• We have rejected proposals to ration care to people that need it (demand management)
• We have rejected proposals to reduce much needed breaks to carers

One of the ways we are able to fund social care services in the future is to reject policies which do not represent a good use of resources – take for example the Disabled Facilities Grant:

when I took on this post we inherited a policy for allocating grants from Labour which was not sustainable in the long term – if we continued spending at such a rate there would be nothing left in the future.

We scrapped a failed landlord accreditation scheme brought in by Labour – it cost roughly £16k per annum and reached less than 3% of the private rented market
Aneurin Bevin said about the NHS:

“We shall never have all we need, expectations will always exceed capacity and the service will always be changed growing and improving.”

but it could just as easily have been written about social services.

A world of finite resource and growing demand is the world we live in today.

And it is time that all members of this Council faced up to this reality and adapted our policies to meet the challenges we face.

This budget protects the vulnerable.

This budget enables us to continue to improve the quality of services we provide to residents.

This budget ensures that highly valued services like libraries service can continue to be funded.

This budget should be supported by all councillors."

Questions and Answers on Adult Social Care in Reading

Last night Cllr Tom Steele asked me a couple of questions about funding for social care in Reading and growth pressures we are experiencing. I have attached them in full below:-

Social Care Funding

Councillor Steele to ask the Lead Councillor for Community Care, Housing and Health:

What level of funding is proposed to be spent on social care 2011/12 and how does this compare with previous years?

Answer:

"In 2009/10 Adult Social care overspent its budget by £1million. In this financial year (2010/11) the Directorate has managed growth pressures of around £2.3 million and is predicted to break even at year end.


Following the 2010 national spending review there has been a radical change to Local Government Grant Funding streams. The Council is proposing a budget for Adult Social Care Services of £43.27m (Gold Book report 2011/12); however, it is not possible to make a direct comparison to the position for 2010/11 due to some changes (i.e. specific grants received by the Directorate in 2010/11 have now become part of the formula funding the Council received).

Adult Services are have a targeted expenditure savings and income generation programme that is supporting the Council to achieve the £18.8m savings target (a full break down of these schemes is included in the Gold Book report to Council, page 56) of £5.2m. These savings are mainly part of the transformation of Adult Services and are focused on areas of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the services.

Social care services are experiencing significant growth pressure from across the client groups supported. To meet these needs the Council is proposing to increase funding in 2011/12 by £2.6m, with the majority of this funding supporting individuals with Learning Disabilities (£0.9m) and Older People (£0.84m).

The Council will not be reducing spend on voluntary sector support and will continue to support a range of discretionary activity, for example support for carers. The major focus of activity will be to complete the transformation of care so that everyone is offered a personal budget and continue to focus activity on the most frail and vulnerable."

Social Care Pressures

Councillor Steele to ask the Lead Councillor for Community Care, Housing and Health:
What growth pressures is the Council experiencing in relation to social care services?


Answer

"Adult Services in Reading is undertaking a major transformation of its services to delivery improved outcomes, but in a more cost effective way. An example of this is our reablement service which is delivering considerable savings and better care outcomes by enabling people to regain their independence. A further example is the merger of Edward Hughes and Tanfield homes – creating a centre of excellence for intermediate care, providing a better physical environment for frail elderly people and saving money.


I am pleased to say that because of this type of service transformation the Housing and Community Care budget will break even in this financial year.

However, even with substantial change to service delivery, Social Care Services are experiencing significant growth pressure from across the client groups supported. This is partially because people are living longer and partially because we are managing much more complex cases within the community.

In response, the Government has established a Commission on Long Term Care which will report in July this year and made additional moneys available to promote better integration of health and social care (around £1.1 million across the PCT area in 2011/12)

At local level the Council is proposing to increase funding in 2011/12 by £2.6m, with the majority of this funding supporting individuals with Learning Disabilities (£0.9m) and Older People (£0.84m)."

Supporting Carers in Reading

Yesterday evening at full Council Cllr Tom Steele (Conservative, Kentwood) tabled a written question to me asking what support is planned in Reading to support unpaid carers. Below is the response I gave:

"Carers in Reading make a hugely valuable and important contribution to caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.


As an administration we are committed to placing support for carers at the heart of all our policies and at the top of our local agenda for transforming community care.

The Coalition Government’s Agreement sets out that the Government will look to provide increased support to carers particularly through:

• Extending the roll-out of personal budgets to give people and their carers more control and purchasing power;
• Using Direct Payments to carers and better community based provision to improve access to respite care;
•  Extending the right to request flexible working to all employees, consulting with business on how best to do so; and
• Establishing a commission for long-term care which will consider how to ensure responsible and sustainable funding for long-term care.

Locally, The Carers Action Plan 2010-12 details how RBC, along with other partners will support carers in Reading.

The top priority areas for 2010 and beyond were identified by carers as:

• Supporting carers to get breaks
• Promoting the take-up of Direct Payments from the Carers 
•  Offering back up support for carers in an emergency
• RBC currently funds Crossroads to provide the Back Me Up emergency support planning and emergency respite scheme
• Helping new and existing carers access information and guidance on support and services.

Developing a Reading Carers Communications Plan to reach more carers and ensure carers amongst whom service take up is currently low are targeted for more work.

This will form part of the tender for carers re-commissioning services and will make available out of hours support:

• Supporting carers to look after their health
• On-going work with partners to encourage carers to draw up emergency back up plans
• Offering training to carers and to ensure carers can access appropriate peer support
• Promoting awareness of carers as expert partners in care, through ensuring social care professionals and other teams (i.e. GPS) are aware of the carers information pack and trained in improving carer recognition

Work in progress includes:

• Continuing the Carers Steering Group to ensure local agencies continue to collaborate for the benefit of carers
• Making a positive contribution by ensuring carers are including in service development
• Improved quality of life through raising awareness of services available and to engage with other providers to negotiate better access to services for carers
•  Encouraging take up from underrepresented groups, RBC has funded an additional BME carer support group to complement existing ones offered by PRT
•  Working with JobCentre Plus to make sure employers in Reading are aware of flexible working rights for carers
• Community development work alongside the Thriving Neighbourhoods Programme to ensure carers are identified
• A series of events in 2011 to link in with national events and promote carer rights, support available to them and how to access this."

Response to Petition on Social Care Eligibility Criteria

At the Council's Budget meeting I was due to respond to a petition from Green Party Candidate Melanie Eastwood (Save Our Services) on Social Care. Sadly due to the large number of public questions and other petitions the time allotted ran out so I was unable to give the response verbally.

Below is the response I would have given (and which was circulated in the meeting):

'I would like to thank everyone who signed this petition – it is clear that social care is an issue that matters to many people in Reading.

As an administration we believe that the protection of vulnerable adults and children must be our highest priority.

I am honoured to serve as Lead Member for Community Care and I take the responsibility attached to this role very seriously indeed.

It is my responsibility to ensure that we are providing the right services to people who need them, and to ensure that the money is there to provide them in future.

Funding for social care is a national issue and I am pleased that the Coalition Government has taken the courageous decision to seek a fair, sustainable solution to this issue which affects us all where the previous Labour government failed.

Throughout the challenging budget-making process I have subjected all our community care policies to a series of rigorous tests:

•  Will this policy protect the most vulnerable in our community?
• Does this policy promote independence for carers and those with care needs?
•  Will this policy deliver an improved quality of service for residents?
• Will this policy be financially sustainable in the longer term?
• Does this policy deliver value for money for taxpayers? 

In Reading, like many other areas we face an inescapable reality of increasing growth in demand for our services.

This is not new and it would be the case regardless of the financial position this Council finds itself in.

We face a choice in how we respond to this challenge.

We could have buried out heads in the sand, as Labour did for years and continued to beg for more money from Council tax payers and borrow more money we do not have to pay for services - including services for people who have been assessed as able to pay.

This is not a sustainable and it does not meet the test of ensuring funding is available in the future to provide care to vulnerable people.

Neighbouring Councils have opted to adopt ‘demand management’ which is effectively rationing care. We rejected this because it failed the first test – it places vulnerable people at risk by delaying access to support and help. It also creates huge problems for other local agencies e.g. bed blocking in local hospitals.

We are not proposing to do any of these things.

In Reading:

•  we are consulting about eligibility criteria

• we are proposing to increase and enhance support to carers

• we are proposing to expand our preventative and reablement services

The Council put these matters out to public consultation on 6th December and the Transforming Adult Social Care Services consultation is open until 27th February.

Any changes to Adult Social Care can affect very vulnerable people, and we are keen to hear from as many people as possible with their views on these proposals.

There have been in excess of 600 responses to the consultation so far, and approximately 20 meetings held to discuss the proposals.

The majority of responses have come from people who have indicated they have a care and support need themselves or care for somebody who does.

A full report on the consultation will be presented to the Health, Housing and Community Care Scrutiny Panel on 10th March.A decision on what action to take in the light of the consultation feedback will then be taken by Cabinet on 14th March.

We recognise that any change in eligibility for Adult Social Care would increase people’s reliance on other support – from families, communities and voluntary groups. Within the consultation we are therefore asking people for their views on what sorts of support like this – which we have described as ‘preventative services’ - they feel are most important.

There are already a range of excellent services like this in Reading, including the free reablement service offering up to 6 weeks of tailored support to regain maximum independence after an illness or injury.

Consultation feedback will be used to inform our ongoing programme to ensure that the funding Adult Social Care already invests and will continue to invest in carers and community support is meeting local people’s priorities.'

Visiting Community Care Services in Reading

Today I took some time out to visit a number of staff working in Reading Borough Council's Community Care Directorate who work to support elderly and vulnerable people in Reading. I have wanted to do this for a long time but my work and Council diary have meant my free time has sadly beenlimited.
As Lead Member my weeks tend to consist of a regular diet of officer briefings, both oral and written. These briefings are obviously necessary to get a thorough understanding of current policies and issues.
However, if you are not careful as a councillor you can become an expert on policy and you can lose sight of what your role is. Councillors are not elected to become policy experts. This is what we elected highly-trained officers for. Councillors are elected to bring insights from the local community and represent the views of local people. We are also elected to take decisions and to do this we need a good understanding of issues affecting the full range of our services.
With this in mind I am keen to get out of the Civic Officers as often as possible to meet staff and service users and to get a better understanding of how our services work on the ground.
My visit began with a trip to meet Community Care staff working in  Intermediate Care/Reablement  some of whom are based at The Avenue Centre in Tilehurst. I found it really interesting meeting the service managers and speaking directly to staff about the impact of recent innovations on them and local residents.
One such innovation includes the new REACT service (Reading Adult Contact Team) where social care telephone calls from the public into the Council's corporate call centre. This new service was launched in November 2010. It means older residents and their carers now only need to make one phone call and not be passed around the houses to get support and advice.
Another innovation has been co-locating staff from a variety of professions in the same team i.e. occupational therapists working alongside social workers. This is leading to a more integrated, joined-up service and is leading to better outcomes for residents.
I spoke to staff about how our Reablement services work as I am keen to understand this service better. Reablement packages are individually tailored to residents by trained staff from a range of disciplines who are focussed on getting an individual back on their feet. Services are delivered in intensive 6 week bursts and involves agreeing goals with service users i.e going shopping, cooking meals where they have stopped being able to do these tasks for whatever reason. The aim is to get people back to full independence although if further services are still needed they can be provided.
We are already seeing the positive impact our local Reablement services are having on residents. Many residents do not need further care or support after they have been reabled. This is fantastic news for those individuals who previously may have languished in hospital or struggled on at home. This service is also having a positive impact on the number of hospital referrals in our area - good for residents and budgets. For this reason it is good news for Reading that the Coalition Government is committed to investing in local Reablement services so we can help more people.
I also spoke to staff who help residents manage long term conditions by arranging things like home adaptations and telecare.This is vitally important as it helps residents live independently and enjoy a good quality of life. We talked about the way in which self-directed support or personal budgets work and the potential benefits for service users. The Government has already signalled that it would like to see councils go further on this and we are making good progress in Reading in supporting people to use personal budgets.
My next stop was to visit the Community Mental Health Team who are based at Prospect Park Hospital. I spoke to a range of practitioners about the full range of services they provide to adults across the Borough. It was encouraging to hear of the wide range of support available to people with a range of mental health problems. I spent some time talking to the team that works with people who have had mental health problems to help them find work, and to staff who signpost people with mental health problems to activities in the community. All really worthwhile.
Finally I went to visit staff working in social care services based in the Whitley Health Centre. Staff there identify support needs of hundreds of residents living in and around South Reading.
All in all it was a really interesting, inspiring afternoon. I was struck once again by the enthusiasm, energy and dedication of all the staff I met today. I am very grateful to them for welcoming me into their workplace and responding to my questions and comments. I am very grateful to for all the hours they devote to helping and supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our Town.
In turn I hope staff found it useful to meet me and to put a face to a name. I try to make myself accessible as I think it's really important for councillors to be visible not just in the Council Chamber but to staff and the community - particularly as we are charged with making decisions on behalf of residents.
I am always keen to learn more about our services and policies to help make better decisions, so I am planning further visits to staff and service users in future.

Residents prioritise social care and housing services

As custodians of the public purse I think it is vitally important that local councillors spend Council Tax payers money in line with local priorities - after all it is residents' hard earned cash they are spending.
When councils are forced to reduce the amount they spend it is even more important to ensure they are spending it on things that matter to local residents. Labour councillors have found themselves in very hot water on this recently.
Last October, following the Comprehensive Spending Review the Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition of Reading Borough Council conducted the first ever public consultation about which Council services matter most to local people ahead of setting the Budget for the following year (2011/12).
Residents were invited to comment via a Have Your Say survey form about what services matter to them. The findings helped to inform the budget savings options Lib Dem and Conservative Councillors have been developing in recent months, and which were discussed at full Council earlier this week.
The closing date or the consultation was 19 November 2010. Over 900 completed surveys were received by the Council and the summary of findings were presented at Cabinet on 17 January.
Residents who responded ranked services in the following priority order

1. Children's Social Care Services
2. Adult Social Care Services
3. Education
4. Housing Services
5. Waste, Refuse and Recycling
6. Streetcare
7. Roads
8. Planning and Building Regulation
9. Public Health & Safety
10. Community Safety
11. Leisure, Culture and Sport

As someone who cares deeply about safeguarding and protecting the vulnerable in our community I was very pleased to see children and adult social care and housing services ranked so highly by the public.
Over 50% of respondents rated adult social care services as very important, with housing services close behind on over 45%.This closely reflects the priority the Coalition Administration in Reading has given to investing in education, protecting vulnerable adults and children, and promoting excellent housing standards across all housing types. I am personally leading focussing resources on social care and housing. I am doing this not only because I think it is important but because I know from talking to residents it matters to people in Reading.
Digging deeper into the results it was interesting to read that 68% of respondents felt that the Council should provide adult social care services with over 30% of respondents feeling that others could provide this service. On housing services opinion was quite evenly split with 53% of residents believing that others could provide housing services (compared to 46% who felt the Council should).
This is the first such consultation carried out by the Council since I was first elected (2006). When Labour councillors were in power did not consult residents in this way as part of the budget process. I really hope it becomes a regular part of our budget setting every year.

Difficult decisions on Dementia care

Another busy week is finally at an end. On Monday Cabinet agreed to my recommendation to merge Edward Hughes, a care home run by Reading Borough Council with Tanfield, another local facility. It follows a public consultation and detailed options appraisals by officers.
Recommending this course of action was without question one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my Council career as I had to balance the needs of current residents, alongside best use of Council resources and the needs of future dementia care clients. People suffering from dementia are some of the most vulnerable people in our community and I take my responsiblity towards them as Lead Councillor very seriously indeed.
A number of families attended the meeting to find out the decision and for obvious reasons feelings ran high.
Although familes felt the process was to short, it feels to me like the whole process has been going for quite long time as I have been involved long before I became Lead Councillor.
I have been closely involved in discussions around planning dementia future care provision since 2009 when I led a detailed scrutiny review on the subject as Chair of the then Housing, Health & Community Care Scrutiny Panel. I chaired a public meeting and as a result of the review a number of detailed recommendations were made to the then Labour Cabinet.
My conclusions at that time are worth highlighting as I think they are still pertinent:

'As this year's budget discussions showed, demand for care in Reading is growing, year on year, and Council resources are not limitless. This will not change next year, or the year after. It will be a challenge facing whichever party takes overall control of Reading Borough Council in the future.

My view is we have a duty of care to the elderly and it is incumbent on all parties to think long-term about how care will be provided by the Council.
Any decisions about care must be fair to all but they must also be sustainable. That means fair to people of all ages in Reading, both the elderly receiving care and younger generations helping to pay for it.'

When I wrote this I had no idea that less than 2 years later I would be be faced with taking the decision or that the Council's finances would have come under such severe pressure on top of massive growth pressures (of elderly people coming into the system).
I have found the whole process very difficult, particularly as I have got to know family members personally both during the scrutiny review and during the more recent formal consultation.The way they have conducted themselves and spoken up for their loved ones has been exemplary - a real credit to the local community.
I am determined to ensure that the Council continues to support them as much as possible both now and in the future.
As I said in the meeting I wish I had a spare £2 million pounds available in my budget to make the necessary improvements to Edward Hughes so that it could remain open. However, even if I did leaving Tanfield just 20% occupied would not be a good use of the Council's resources. With this in mind I do think this is the right decision. Merging Edward Hughes and Tanfield enables the Council to continue to provide inhouse Dementa care service. Throughout the consultaion period family members were clear they wanted see the continuation of a Council-run service - this is a real endorsement of the excellent care provided by the Council's care staff. I was pleased that the Tanfield option gave us the opportunity to continue to provide care.
Concerns were expressed by famliy members about family members potentialy moving into private sector care homes. This is understandable but it's important to state that th Council only purchases good or excellent homes and the Council is willing to act quickly where substandard care or services are identified.
I'm pleased to say that this has not become a party political issue and the support of councillors from all parties has made a real difference.
Our focus now must be on ensuring that the transition for clients from Edward Hughes to Tanfield and elsewhere is as smooth as possible.
With increasing numbers of elderly people expected to suffer from dementtia in the future (there are estimated to be over 750, 000 people in the UK with dementia and numbers are expected to double in the next thirty years) we must plan for the future to ensure services are in place for people that need them.  With this in mind I am pleased that the Coalition Government has pledged to prioritise Dementia research 

Caring for carers in Reading

A couple of weeks ago I was privileged to attend the launch of the new Action Plan for carers in Reading, as part of national Carer's Rights Day. This plan details real commitments to carers made by Reading Borough Council, NHS Berkshire West, the Princess Royal Trust Carers' Service, Crossroads and JobCentrePlus. It has been developed by members of the Reading Carers Steering Group which includes local carers and it is an excellent example of co-production.  It calls on local agencies to do more to support carers and help carers live happier, healthier lives.
I never cease to be amazed by the work done by thousands of selfless carers in our community.
The Council estimates there are around 11,000 carers in Reading - across all age ranges and backgrounds.The Council recently surveyed local carers. The survey revealed that more than 2,000 people spend more than 50 hours a week caring for someone close to them. More than 900 carers responded to the consultation and told the Council about their priorities. They said they wanted short respite breaks, access to on-call emergency assistance, advice in looking after their own health and general well-being, and to ensure new and existing carers had access to information and guidance on support and services.
 It is now up to the Council and other local agencies to listen to local carers and do more to ensure the support they need is available in the community. As I explained a couple of weeks ago our plans to transform community care in Reading (currently out to public consultation) include plans to improve the support available carers, as well as promoting the independence of carers via  direct payments and personal budgets.
We really do owe our local carers a debt of gratitude for the work they do week in, week out, which is why I am pleased that nationally the Coalition has placed carers at the heart of it's plans to improve social care services. I am particularly pleased that the Lib Dem manifesto commitment to provide guaranteed respite care for carers is now being implemented in government by Lib Dem Minister, Paul Burstow MP. This commitment to providing more support to carers was underlined recently when the Coalition published it's Vision for Social Care.
If you or a member of your family live in Reading and have caring responsibilities please visit the dedicated carers page on the Council's website which sets out the services which are there to help support you.
Finally, don't take my word for it - watch this video clip to see Paul Burstow MP talking about his committment to carers:

Transforming Adult Social Care - Have your say

Following my post last week about our ambitious plans to transform adult social care in Reading, Cabinet has agreed to go out to public consultation on the proposals. This consultation will last for 3 months ending on 27 February 2011.
The Council is keen to hear from as many residents as possible - including people who currently receive services and carers before making future decisions on adult social care.
Reading residents can take part in the consultation online at www.reading.gov.uk/adultsocialcareconsultation or call (0118) 937 3747 to requests copies of the consultation. Officers will also be consulting on the plans at the following meetings:-

• Physical Disability & Sensory Needs Network meeting, Civic Centre, 15th December 1.40pm-4pm
• Reading Resource Centre drop-in, Resource Centre, Oxford Road, 12th January 2pm-4pm
• Reading Carers Steering Group, Civic Centre, 26th January 2pm-4pm 
•  Reading Older People's Partnership open meeting, Greyfriars Church Hall, Friar Street, 1st February 10.30am-12.45pm
• Learning Disability Carers Forum, Civic Centre, 16th February 11am-1pm

I look forward to finding out what local people have to say on this important subject.