£1m bid to transform social care

ABID for up to £1m could be launched by Halton Council to help transform care services in the borough.

Halton Council’s executive board has been recommended to agree submitting a bid for a Social Impact Bond to support the Transforming Domiciliary Care project.

A report to members said that care providers in Runcorn and Widnes support 776 people in the borough and carry out more than 13,000 visits per week, with an annual expenditure of £4.3m.

The document said that both expenditure and care will rise over coming years and the report said ‘it is clear that we will need to make improvements’ to meet the needs of an ageing population.

Domiciliary care in the borough has been reviewed and a consultation has been held with residents who use the services and carers themselves.

Views listed in the document include carers not being recognised for the role they do and the ‘crucial part’ they play in safety, a need for more access to preventative support and services, and that ‘professional barriers’ are put in place by services and agencies which should be working together.

The report said: “It is clear from the feedback that we have already collected that there is a need for change, too many pressures on times, limited capacity, poor recruitment, financial pressures, waiting lists.”

The council has until the end of July to submit a full application for a Social Impact Bond of up to £1m.

The report added: “Social Impact Bonds are a new concept in public service delivery.

“National research suggests that they have many benefits, including bringing additional investment into public services, encouraging more innovative service delivery and creating a better contract management.

“However, they can also be complex and challenging to establish and implement.

“There are significant changes that will need to happen in relation to full implementation, however the design, action plans and overall implementation plan will be completed as part of the National Lottery funding application and will be available from July 2016.”

The matter will be discussed at the Municipal Building in Widnes on Thursday, July 14.