I’m having ’round table’ discussions with Chief Execs of major care providers and supported living organisations

They will take place in mid January and I am pleased that every company, organisation and provider I’ve asked to meet with me has agreed.

One meeting will be with domiciliary care providers and a further one with organisations that invest in, and build, supported living developments for older people or those who need some support on a daily basis.

Fundamental to the meetings is the quality of services provided in the future and the sustainability of our ambitious building programme for supported or sheltered living schemes in the current economic climate.

The latter is because of signs of a slow down in the ability of developers to raise money and make schemes viable with a minimal subsidy from the County Council. I want to look at new ways of doing it which could include a new approach to contracting the care element in future.

It’s also about examining whether the County Council could assist with pump priming new developments through the use of capital where banks aren’t able to. The last couple of years we’ve driven a big increase in Staffordshire of developments to help people remain independent in safe surroundings even with some vulnerabilities and health challenges.

In fact, Staffordshire was named as leading nationally in meeting the needs of the future in a recent Parliamentary Report and I don’t intend to see progress stall which means early intervention may be needed.

Care wise, it’s about sustainability of the provider sector with rising cost of fuel and other factors, quality of  care given to individuals in their homes and enhancing the profession of Home Care as a career rather than just as a job. It’s also understanding in more detail whether providers are passing on some specific incentives to their staff as expected or adding them to profits… as some clearly are.

But for Care, the bottom line for me is quality of services and that’s where the focus will continue to be. Over the last two years we’ve contrated much, much harder to ensure people receiving care are put before company profits and some that have failed to understand that have faced ultimate consequences.

Tough but fair. And that’s why before we formalise a completely new way of paying providers, residential and non residential, across the care sector in Staffordshire by the quality of care and results, rather than simply the task, we need to understand the impact that could have on those who can’t raise their standards sufficiently.

So, it should be useful and interesting but one thing that will continue is the drive to raise standards and professionalism in care ever further.

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