17.1.20

A new vision for the delivery of care at home for adults and children in Cardiff will be considered by Cabinet next week.

Cabinet will discuss a proposed new approach to commissioning arrangements for domiciliary care and sessional support in the city to ensure people with care needs are supported to live as independently as possible, for as long as possible, in their own homes and communities.

Cabinet Member for Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, Cllr Susan Elsmore, said: "Cardiff has taken a number of different approaches to securing domiciliary care over the last 14 years and having learned lessons from what has worked well, the new approach to commissioning care will help us provide a more flexible service, that reflects what matters to people with care and support needs and their carers.

"The locality-based approach in the new model is based on the benefits of care at home services, working closely with preventative services, community health and social work teams, community hubs and primary care clusters in a joined-up way to achieve the best outcomes for people."

Cardiff's new vision for care at home, and the services that will be commissioned in line with that vision, will support people to live the lives they want to live with flexible care and support which reflects their needs. There will be city-wide specialist services for people with dementia, learning disabilities and a range of new services for children and families, as well as locality based services.

The model has been co-produced with providers and people who receive care and their families and reflects the six neighbourhood localities in the city that mirror the primary care clusters - Cardiff West, Cardiff South West, Cardiff City and South, Cardiff South East, Cardiff East and Cardiff North. Providers who wish to deliver services in Cardiff will work together in managed domiciliary care networks which will align with the Council's in-house services.

The approach contributes to the delivery of the Council's Capital Ambition commitments to support individuals to live fulfilled, independent lives within their communities. It also takes its direction from Welsh Government's ‘A Healthier Wales: our Plan for Health and Social Care', which sets out an ambition for seamless well-being, health and social care services designed and delivered around the needs and preferences of individuals.

Cabinet will consider the new vision on Thursday January 23 and are recommended to authorise the recommissioning of domiciliary care services to ensure contracts are in place by November this year.

It is expected that the new model will be introduced through a phased implementation over two years. To ensure continuity of care for people, people will not experience a change of provider unless it is in their interests to do so.