Welsh Government to help elderly people live at home longer by integrating care services

The Welsh Government has announced plans to join up health and social care services in a bid to help elderly people live at home for home longer.

It is hoped the move will also relieve pressure on acute and community care services, which are more in demand than ever before in Wales.

Mark Drakeford, Health Minister, and Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Social Services, made a joint statement on Friday, outlining the plans which open for consultation today. Their requirements include building a strong shared leadership across all levels, giving more of a voice to individuals and their carers and developing secure systems to safely share information between organisations.

Speaking about the plans, Mr Drakeford said: “This is an important step forward today. I want to see integration of health and social services for older people with complex needs to be taken forward at pace and scale across Wales. We have set out the requirements and strong leadership will be required to make this happen to benefit people using services.

“Effective integration will help give people greater voice and control over the care they receive. This should be safe and good quality care that doesn’t allow people to fall through gaps between the care they receive in hospitals, GP surgeries and at home.

“This means the NHS, social services, independent and voluntary sectors must regard collaboration as a necessity and build more consistently on the work that is already underway in Wales to achieve fully integrated health and social care.”

Ms Thomas added: “We must be clear about the benefits we expect integration to achieve. We anticipate that effective integration will reduce variability of outcomes and achieve more delivery of care at home rather than in hospital.

“The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Bill sets out measures to strengthen partnership arrangements for local authorities and the NHS to work together. This includes powers for ministers to make regulations that would direct the type and form of partnership and supporting arrangements we must have, if this is not achieved through collaboration in the coming years.”

Graham Benfield, chief executive of Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) has welcomed the plans. He said: “Integrated services will enable older people to not only stay in their homes but, crucially, be part of their community with social care providing meaningful relationships that make the difference in people’s lives. Giving older people voice and control is vital in coming up with service solutions and improving outcomes.

“The third sector is keen to work more collaboratively with health and social services in delivering better local neighbourhood services. Integrated care is not just about health and social services working with each other – it is about how older people can draw on support from all sources, including the community and the third sector, to maintain their wellbeing and quality of life.”

Helen Birtwhistle, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, echoed Mr Benfield’s views. She said: “Greater collaboration between health and social care is something that NHS Wales wholeheartedly supports. We anticipate the Integrated Delivery Framework will bring significant benefits to patients.

“Older patients with complex needs require committed and seamless care with intervention at the appropriate time. This will enable them to feel fully supported and encouraged to live as full a life as possible.”