I take a keen interest in issues around care for the elderly in Reading, both in my role as spokesperson and as Chair of the Housing, Health and Community Care Panel.
I blogged last month about the important place intermediate care has in the care system. However, for many elderly people, particularly those with dementia, residential care is the only viable option to continue their lives.
With the elderly population in Reading set to grow substantially over the next few years, it's vital that the Council plans ahead to ensure that there is the right level of provision to meet the expected demand for care, particularly dementia care.
I would argue that Reading Borough Council is further ahead on this work than many areas of the country where today dementia care has been heavily criticised by experts.
Nationally, the government has been trumpeting it's national dementia care strategy which is all well and good: it is clearly needed.
However, the forthcoming, long overdue, green paper on social care is expected to sidestep the really difficult question: how will we pay for care for the growing ageing population whilst also keeping taxes low?
No government wants to be seen to be saddling people with potentially higher taxes, particularly in a recession. Now is not the time, however, to shortchange our older people, who deserve high quality care, whatever their income.
This issue has divided the parties in Berkshire with Wokingham and Reading Borough Councils pursuing very different policies.
Yesterday evening, the Council's Labour administration endorsed the detailed recommendations of the scrutiny review I led on the future of dementia care in Reading.
This piece of work centred on the future of Edward Hughes, (a Council-run care home in West Reading which needed modernising)and involved 6 months of discussion with families of residents in the home, staff and officers.
Recommendations were as follows:
Note the consideration of specialist residential/nursing dementia care services (in terms of demand and the improvement of existing facilities at the Edward Hughes Residential Care Home) by the HHCC Scrutiny Panel, at the request of the Cabinet, and consultation with residents’ families, staff, and other interested stakeholders on options at a special meeting of the Scrutiny Panel held on 22 January 2009;
2.2 Note that at that meeting the Panel heard near unanimous support for Option 4, ie to provide a specialist Dementia Care unit on the Alice Burrrows site, and that when the new facility was complete dementia care residents be moved to that facility, and that depending on other residents’ needs and family requests frail elderly clients be moved with Dementia care residents;2.3 Note that a key reason for the support of residents’ families, staff, and other interested stakeholders for Option 4 was the close proximity of the Alice Burrows site to the Edward Hughes Residential Care Home, and the likelihood of the new facility retaining committed and experienced staff and maintaining a high quality of care for residents;
2.4 Endorse Option 4, as outlined in recommendation 2.2 above;
2.5 Endorse the view of families of residents and staff expressed at the 22 January meeting that maintaining a high quality of care be a key consideration behind any future decision on the future of dementia care in Reading;
2.6 Endorse the view of families of residents and staff expressed at the 22 January meeting that moves of dementia care and frail elderly residents should be kept to a minimum, ideally one move, in order to minimise any disruption on this vulnerable client group;
2.7 Acknowledge the strong desire by families of residents currently at Edward Hughes Residential Care Home for the new facility to be Council-owned and Council-run;
2.8 Acknowledge the hard work and high standard of care delivered by staff at Edward Hughes Residential Care Home and thank them for their ongoing efforts on behalf of residents;
2.9 Consider and be mindful of the financial and value for money implications inherent in future dementia care planning, in the context of an ageing local population and instruct officers to review these, in order to ensure long-term sustainability.
I was very glad that we were able to reach a consensus both with families, staff, officers and councillors about what the important issues are we need to consider in relation to dementia care.
The recommendations included some very important points, such as the clear view expressed by families that any new care home should be council-owned and council-run, as well as a huge vote of confidence in the staff of Edward Hughes.
The point about value for money is also important, however, and this makes planning dementia care one of the toughest challenges facing the Council today.
As this year's budget discussions showed, demand for care in Reading is growing, year on year, and Council resources are not limitless. This will not change next year, or the year after. It will be a challenge facing whichever party takes overall control of Reading Borough Council in the future.
My view is we have a duty of care to the elderly and it is incumbent on all parties to think long-term about how care will be provided by the Council.
Any decisions about care must be fair to all but they must also be sustainable. That means fair to people of all ages in Reading, both the elderly receiving care and younger generations helping to pay for it.
Now that a decision has been reached about a way forward, officers have now been charged with the nitty gritty work of costing up proposals to redevelop Alice Burrows to become a leading edge dementia care centre.
Questions now arising include: should the Council run the home? should a private company be responsible for the building? All these questions will need to be resolved.
However, I am hopeful that these discussions will now be made on the basis of greater understanding by all concerned of the challenges we face and I am glad to have been able to contribute to that process in a small way.
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