Questions - Elderly Care Grant

Council meeting 29 September 2015

Question to Cabinet Member Adult & Community Services from Cllr D Fouweather

Subject: Welsh Govt re-direction of grant for elderly care cost to LHB

Question:

The Welsh Government previously provided the council with a grant to assist with the cost of the care of the elderly in the community.  

This grant is no longer paid to the council but is instead given to the LHB.  

This funding is used to support Carer Connect, Community Connect and Step up Step down. 

How will you ensure that the LHB continue to support these groups and that they continue to allocate the full amount of the grant to these schemes?

Answer:   

Thank you for the question. Councillor Fouweather is referring to the Intermediate Care Fund (ICF).  

In 2014/15 Welsh Government gave the grant on a regional basis (not directly to individual councils) and it was administered by Caerphilly Council with projects funded by the grant agreed and evaluated by a group of representatives from all local authority partners and the Health Board. All six had to agree where money was spent.  

We agreed to spend on those initiatives you referred to and Step-up, Step-down. Step-up, Step-down has been a great success and has contributed significantly to reducing delayed transfer of care. When I was first appointed to this post we were told there were 80 individuals in hospital through our fault. We had no way of assessing those figures at the time so I put a process in place.  

For 2012/13 we found we were at fault in 13 cases and the Welsh average was 4. In 2013/14, the average in Wales was 5 and we were at 5. This year the Welsh average is 4.9 and we are down to 2.5 delayed transfers attributable to us. This is a remarkable achievement and the Step–up, Step-down has helped so much.

I welcome you raising this issue so people have an idea of how the funding is being used.

As to future funding, we have been given an indication and hope that the funding will come next year. Decisions will be made by the partnership of 5 authorities and the Health Board as to where the money will be spent.  

Supplementary: Councillor Fouweather stated he had visited Community Connect and they do a great job and it would benefit members if they gave a brief presentation to members about the work they do in our communities, particularly with those who are isolated and with no family who can help. I am also impressed by the work being done in the GP surgeries. It is absolutely fantastic. If I see things that are good, I will say.