The Department for Social Care is today updating home care staff and service users of developments within the Adult Services Rebalancing Programme.
 
The programme was announced in February this year and is intended to deliver:

• Modern services that will enable more vulnerable adults, especially older people, to receive the support they need to remain safely in their homes.
• Developed and improved services for people with learning disabilities to enable them to live as independently as possible.
• An approach to care provision that will be sustainable in the face of a growing and ageing population, in a period of significant financial challenge.
 
To date the Department has progressed the following areas of work:

• Surby Unit in Southlands was opened at the beginning of October and five residents have moved in. The remaining beds in the 12 bed unit will be occupied by the end of December.
• Reayrt Skyal, the new resource centre for elderly people in the North of the Island, is currently recruiting to posts and will open as soon as staff are in place.
• The majority of residents from Glenside have now been transferred to more suitable and appropriate accommodation, and staff have been redeployed to other services or have been supported to find alternative employment.
• In addition Gansey Unit has also now reopened following a successful recruitment drive.
 
Next Steps
 
As previously announced the Department has also been working towards rebalancing domiciliary care to both secure the future of home care services on the Island and ensure a more flexible, responsive and cost effective service is delivered. It is anticipated that the Home Care service will be transferred to a new provider in 2013. To this end, the Department is working with voluntary sector and not for profit partners.
 
Finally the Department has also been developing proposals to create a more consistent, equitable and transparent process for accessing care services and support for carers. A public consultation will take place on the new process in early 2013.
 
The Minister for Social Care Hon Chris Robertshaw MHK said: “I am pleased with the work my Department has been taking forward in order to address a number of fundamental issues in the delivery of adult care services. The work to reduce residential capacity is now drawing to a close and we will now be focussing on rebalancing home care. We are determined to ensure that any changes are open and transparent and we will continue to work with partners to make sure there is good information available to service users and their families and carers as well as our own staff.”