Cumbria County Council moves forward on older adult support

Cumbria County Council’s commitment to the modernisation and integration of services to older people moved a step closer today when the Council’s Cabinet approved in principle, the establishment of a Joint Management Team with health partners. The team aims to ensure the effective project management of the joint modernisation programme, which is now underway, and proving highly successful. 

One of Cumbria County Council’s main themes within the Corporate Strategy is to support vulnerable people. The top priority within that theme is to put into practice the commissioning strategy for older adults. The Change Agents Report in 2001, led to a drive towards the integration and modernisation of services for older adults after a recommendation for a `whole systems’ approach to older adult services. There has been significant progress including a major reduction in delayed transfers of care by integrating service, joint care management, devolved resource management and best practice guides. Local action plans have been developed to achieve the integration of care management and the Council works closely with health colleagues to manage capacity. This has resulted in not just meeting but exceeding the targets for delayed transfers of care from acute hospitals. A range of innovative projects has been developed to promote independence including night sitting services and generic homecare. County Councillor John Mallinson, cabinet spokesman for Care and Social Services says, 

“Further work with Health needs to take place so that a detailed proposal for a Joint management team can be considered but it is an important step forward to agree the initiative in principle, highlighting this Council’s commitment to services for older adults and our key theme to support vulnerable people. It is envisaged that the team would initially be established for two years to provide a clear focus around partnership, modernisation and the continued improvement of front line services. The creation of a joint team would ensure that there are robust and sustainable mechanisms in place to continue the excellent development work currently taking place in services for older adults, including the huge reductions in delayed transfers of care leading to our recent removal from the Governments `hot spot’ Councils list and our national leading edge work on generic home care services.”