A new era for elderly people and their families seeking respite care is taking shape in Swansea.
Innovative services designed to offer carers the chance to pick and choose from a whole range of options have been introduced.
And more will follow in the coming months as part of work being carried out by Swansea Council’s Adult Services team.
The move follows a decision by the Council’s Cabinet earlier this year to transform respite care services in the City and make them fit for the expectations of users and potential users in the 21st century.
Plans to develop alternatives to the residential respite care unit at Earlsmoor have been completed and it means the centre will be closing on September 1.
Nick Tregoning, Cabinet Member for Social Services, said the closure marked the dawn of a new era in respite care in Swansea.
Those who were regular users of the unit have been found alternative respite care services appropriate to their needs.
Cllr Tregoning said: “There is no doubt that those who used Earlsmoor and the staff who worked there will see September 1 as the end of an era.
“I want to pay tribute to the staff, users of the service, the Friends of Earlsmoor and our partners in voluntary organisations locally for getting involved and helping the Council manage the transition so effectively following the decision to close Earlsmoor.
“It has made a real difference and has helped ensure individual packages of care for those most affected by the changes have been and are being put into place.”
He added: “We are at the start of a new era in which carers and their families get to choose the kind of respite care that’s appropriate to their needs. The day of the one-size-fits-all approach is over. Future generations will benefit from that.”
New respite care services available from September include:
- Close to home respite care rooms in Morriston and Bonymaen with others in Sketty and Pontarddulais opening later in the year
- Respite care space at Rose Cross House opening in September with more to follow later.
- A new respite care apartment at Hazel Court that’s already open.
- Four pilot places in Adult Placement where people are fostered with families.
- Availability of up to 10 rooms at the Caewern residential respite care unit in Neath along with an emergency place.
Improved respite care services for people who would rather stay at home are also being developed in response to consultation that showed this was the preferred option for most users.
On top of that work is also being done to develop respite care day services, independent sector provision and options around short breaks.
The proposals to transform respite care were developed to meet demand for a wider range of services now and in future years when there will be more people in need and fewer carers available.
Consultation on the proposals took more than 18 months and won approval from the authority’s Health, Social Care and Well-Being Overview Board as well as voluntary sector organisations in the city.
