Cabinet Members: Cllr. Mair Rowlands – Children and Young
People
Cllr. W. Gareth Roberts – Adults, Health and
Welfare
To consider
a report by both the Cabinet Members on the above.
(Copy
enclosed)
10.00 a.m. –
10.45 a.m.
Minutes:
Submitted - a draft report of the North Wales
Population Needs Assessment produced in accordance with the requirement of the
Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.
The Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and
Well-being provided the background. He was of the opinion that people needed to
be encouraged to take responsibility for their health and future early enough
in order to make life easier and more comfortable should their health
deteriorate. He explained that this
could involve moving to smaller houses, moving closer to family etc. in order
to receive support whilst living independently. He emphasised that steps needed to be
tailored to individuals' needs but that people should think about the future
whilst they were still healthy and independent.
In response to the above, a Member disagreed
with the above observation. Another
Member added that the main problem was the difficulty for individuals to accept
that their health was deteriorating and some suffered with dementia with
everyone wishing to retain their independence.
Members were given an opportunity to offer
observations on the content of the report and the following points were
highlighted for further consideration:
(a)
This type of assessment was welcomed but there was
concern about the influx of individuals who had retired to European countries
who could come to Gwynedd, in light of the European referendum result. Should this happen, it was asked whether or
not any provision for this was being considered.
(b)
Learning Disabilities - it was welcomed that the
provision was being supported but there was no reference in the document to
collaboration with the mental health service.
(c)
Emphasis and assurance should be placed on the
language needs of service users
(ch)The value of volunteers' unpaid
contributions should be recognised
(d)
Schemes to develop services and support to tackle
loneliness were welcomed but there was concern about the continuation of such
schemes in relation to funding them in future.
Specific reference was made to the Ffrindia' Scheme which appeared to be
a success but it was coming to an end; as a result, it would affect those
people who had taken advantage of the scheme.
(dd)In terms of increasing extra care
housing provision, an appeal was made for the Service
to share information with elected members
about future plans.
(e)
In relation to future
needs, there was a need to empower communities and as a result that there was
an important role to identify ageing individuals. The need to be confident to contact
individuals in their communities was added as rural areas did not often receive
services from the third sector.
(f)
Engagement - a request was made for details
regarding who contributed to the questionnaire that had been sent to users.
(ff)
It should be recognised that provision for children
and young people with severe and complex needs was costly. Reference to the needs of the autism spectrum
disorder was welcomed and attention was drawn to the need to collaborate with
relevant services in this context in terms of provision. Attention was drawn to an increase where a
cluster of approximately 10 children had been seen in one area.
(g)
It was asked whether officers were satisfied that
the assessment was cross-departmental?
(ng)Would there be collaboration with extra
care housing providers such as Cynefin and
specifically on provision in the south of
the county?
(h) Importance of
recognising and addressing the matters raised about mental health and there was
concern about the need to use acute beds outside north Wales.
A response was
received to the above observations from relevant officers as follows:
·
An assessment of needs
was before the committee and that action plans would be provided in future. As this was the first assessment and that it
was based on evidence rather than anecdotal evidence, it was further
noted: When it would be reviewed, it was
hoped that the Service could fill the gaps and commission in a wiser manner by
using information received.
·
The Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and
Well-being emphasised that it was a time of financial austerity everywhere with
service capacity reducing. Consideration
would have to be given to the range of services and volunteer capacity.
·
In relation to
engagement, information about the number of people who contributed to the
questionnaire from Gwynedd would be found and shared with Members.
·
The Head of Adults, Health and Well-being
Department was satisfied with the information but he acknowledged that there
were gaps and emphasised that a regional evidence base had been received, and
that engagement would continue in future.
It was explained that this was the best information that existed at
present.
·
The well-being
assessment concurred to examine what was available in communities and that an
emphasis on the care element had been included in the assessment before the
committee. When the above assessment was revisited, it was added that it would
be integrated into the population assessment.
Further reference was made to the Ageing Well report that had recently
been submitted to the Cabinet which specifically referred to well-being
elements such as care plans and identified what needed to be done for the
future.
·
Investing in extra care provision was essential and
part of the wider picture but that it depended on contributions from the
Government and it was confirmed that the Service did everything it could to
secure a share of this money. It was
further noted that many areas had been identified across the County in terms of
need and certainly areas in the south and west of the County.
·
Welsh Government had acknowledged that the work
undertaken was comprehensive. It must be
borne in mind that it reflected an assessment at a specific period of time and
that it was becoming outdated on a daily basis; however, it was ensured that a
more local investigation would be undertaken with the intention of integrating
the information received into the next assessment to meet more local needs.
·
Domestic abuse - it was explained that the
Council's Deputy Leader served on a multi-agency Partnership with Anglesey and
that it was a main priority for the partnership. It was further suggested that
perhaps it would be possible to scrutinise the work of the Partnership
above. It was also noted that the
Service collaborated with the Police and it was recognised that it was a field
that needed to be monitored.
·
With regards to the
development of new respite care provision at the new Hafod Lon School, it was
explained that the Children's Department was working diligently on this
development.
Resolved: (a) To approve the report subject to
giving detailed consideration to the following elements when preparing local
assessments and action plans based on the population assessment:
(i)
Projection of the population and inward migration trends of older people
in Gwynedd
(ii)
Learning Disabilities, Mental Health and Autism -
need to highlight collaboration with other services
(iii)
Language Assessment - emphasis on language needs of service users
(iv)
Recognise the value of volunteers' contributions
(v)
Engagement - more work required regarding numbers,
commissioning plan, proportionate representation from Gwynedd, and empower
rural communities
(vi)
More information regarding abuse against women
Supporting documents: