Issue - meetings

      i.         Resolved that the Cabinet would recommend to the Full Council that it adopts the recommendations in the report to be incorporated in the Council Plan.

     ii.         The recommendation to submit the assessment to the Council for approval was approved.

The report was submitted by Cllr Dilwyn Morgan.      

DECISION

               i.         Resolved that the Cabinet will recommend to the Full Council that it adopts the recommendations in the report to be incorporated in the Council Plan.

              ii.         The recommendation to submit the assessment to the Council for approval was approved.

DISCUSSION

It was noted that this assessment of the needs of the Gwynedd adult population provided a local picture of requirements in Gwynedd rather than the North Wales Population Needs Assessment that had been approved by Cyngor Gwynedd on 3 March 2022.

It was explained that the Gwynedd Adults Population Needs Assessment was not a statutory requirement, but it was a useful and important assessment to enable the Council to plan, prioritise and develop new services.

It was noted that the document stated the likely percentage of people who would suffer from Dementia between 2020 and 2040 as 34% in Graph 12. In reality the figure was 53%, and the officer apologised for this error in the document and confirmed that it would be corrected as soon as possible.

It was confirmed that the assessment addressed the following themes and groups and also took the Welsh language into consideration:

·       Older People

·       Physical Disabilities and Sensory Impairments

·       Learning Disability

·       Autism

·       Mental Health

·       Carers

·       Violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence

It was explained that the assessment detailed particular themes which were considered priorities in the Council Plan. These had been identified as follows:

·       Improving individuals' well-being.

·       Improving the support for unpaid carers.

·       Ensuring quality customer care.

·       A shortage of certain types of placements.

·       Recruitment of staff is a huge problem across the care sector.

·       Reconciling data that is kept on systems.

·       Investment in preventative services.

Observations arising from the discussion

¾   The officers of the department were thanked for their comprehensive and hard work in preparing the assessment.

¾   A member queried whether we were likely to see a gap emerge between the Council's ability to provide care to adults, and the number of individuals needing our care, considering the fact that the figures for some conditions for Dementia were increasing and the figures of the general population were decreasing.

¾   In response to the comment above, it was confirmed that officers were working closely with the research team in order to ensure that accurate statistics were developed continuously. It was explained that this would enable the Council to plan effectively for the future. It was also emphasised that crisis situations were emerging at present through applications for care settings, the costs of salaries and the increased costs of goods.

¾   A member questioned how the work for the North Wales population needs assessment, a joint project with Anglesey in light of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, and the individual projects by Cyngor Gwynedd would be tied together and that no duplication occurred.

¾   In response to the above question, members were reminded that this assessment for Gwynedd was not a statutory requirement, contrary to the North Wales Population Needs  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8