Proposals that will lead to more choice for elderly people seeking respite care in Swansea have been agreed by Swansea Councillors.
Consultation on the proposals have taken place over the last 18 months, including an in-depth study by the authority’s Health, Social Care and Well-Being Overview Board.
It met to discuss a final recommendation to Cabinet that the authority proceed with its plans, including a proposal to close the Earlsmoor residential respite care unit.
June Evans, Chair of the Overview Board, said: “We do understand that people who currently use Earlsmoor will be concerned about it closing and what the future provision will be.
“If Cabinet approves the recommendation it will be a big change for them and they do need to be reassured about the future provision.
“That’s why our report emphasises that those people and organisations directly affected should be involved in developing alternative building-based respite care services.”
She said that the Overview Board’s report had taken months to put together and Councillors on the board had carried out their own review of respite care services that included a visit to Earlsmoor and interviews with service users and staff.
But she added: “Our report is not just about Earlsmoor, it is about the future of respite care services as a whole. We found that people want to have choice in the kind of respite care they receive and that is reflected in our recommendations as well.”
Nick Tregoning, Cabinet Member for Social Services, pledged that service users, the Friends of Earlsmoor and voluntary organisations with an interest in respite care will be involved in helping shape the future of respite care services.
He said: “The wide-ranging consultations we’ve done have already made a significant contribution to our proposals for future services. The consultation says loudly and clearly that the one-size-fits-all approach currently offered by Swansea Council is not what people want and providing a wider range of choice is important for the future.
“Currently Earlsmoor is the principal residential respite care service that we provide. But the consultation and research has shown that demand is changing.
“People want to choose the kind of respite care they receive. They tell me that they want to select from a range of options that may include, for example, care in their own homes, care away from home with friends or relatives or care away from home in a residential unit.”
