Issue - meetings

The Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) and the Commissioning Manager: Prevention and Wellbeing introduced and presented the report. The main points were as follows:

·       The Adult Social Care (ACS) service were in the process of reviewing the Pan-Dorset strategic vision across the county, with the relevant partners.

·       This process and vision was to reflect the challenges that carer’s face in BCP, for example 11% of all carers are unpaid.

·       The process had included workshops, surveys, meetings with the BCP Carer Reference Group and the Pan-Dorset steering group. Along with the Carer’s Rights Day, held in Kinson, that was attended by three BCP Councillors.

·       The new Carers Strategy survey had been written up and completed and was now ready to be sent out.

·       The Committee were recommended to request an update on the progress of this at a future meeting.

The Committee asked several questions following the report. Answers were provided by the Director of Adult Social Services and the Commissioning Manager: Prevention and Wellbeing:

·       The Committee heard that it was difficult to identify every unpaid carer in the BCP area, because many do not consider themselves to be an unpaid carer. This was something that the ASC service were working on with their Pan-Dorset and strategic partners to address in order to better reach and inform the unpaid carers in BCP.

·       Members were informed that the ASC service would be asking carers for their feedback on terminology relating to care, including the use of the term ‘unpaid carer’ itself.

·       The Committee heard, following a question on self-directed funding for carers in BCP, that the ASC service provide a lot of different ways of supporting carers, but this must be a key focus area of the strategy. It was heard that the ASC service commission a lot of services on behalf of carers, for example the ‘sitting service’, whereas some authorities pass a direct payment to the individual to purchase this themselves. BCP carers had told the ASC service that they like the Council to commission this service for them. This would lower the amount of people that receive self-directed support.

·       Members were told that BCP as a conurbation contains a large cohort of what is considered ‘elderly’ carers. In comparison to Dorset, BCP has a different client base, in some ways due to the contrast of the urban / rural areas. The Committee heard that BCP do commission some joint areas alongside Dorset, however this strategy would allow for a focus on BCP residents.

·       A member asked about the 22% dissatisfaction rate in regard to support that carer’s had received from local GPs. The Committee heard that it the specific reasons for this were unknown, but it was a signal that the ASC should work more closely with GPs. This was particularly important because a lot of people and carers use their GP as a first port of call. Members were told that if an individual registers as a carer that it will make services available for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 170