Kingston council has pledged to improve its support and services for residents with disabilities and/or physical or mental illnesses, and save £500,000 a year.
Councillor Fiona Boult, who is in charge of Adult Social Care (ASC) policy for Kingston Council, said the council was introducing a “flexible framework” – a list of approved social care providers, offering a wide range of support, from which residents will be able to select the provider they want.
“Our new flexible framework will provide greater choice and flexibility in the types of care available, which is vital for our residents, but will also deliver real value and save around £500,000 per year,” said Boult.
Top 10 per cent of local authorities
Kingston council received recognition for its ASC provision in February 2020 from consultants IMPOWER, which measured which councils were spending their money most effectively in ASC and getting the best outcomes for their residents.
According to IMPOWER data, the Royal Borough of Kingston was in the top 10 per cent of local authorities nationwide.
Since February, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted Kingston Council financially, which Boult highlighted as one motivation for implementing ASC changes.
“The Council is facing significant budget challenges, which have increased further as a result of the additional support it has offered to vulnerable residents throughout the Covid-19 outbreak.
“This makes our work to transform the way we deliver services – while ensuring we’re able to support those who need it most – even more important,” she said.
Other key changes that the council has highlighted on its website are:
- Making it easier for residents to get the support they need
- Fair pricing for residents seeking care
- Increased use of assistive technology (e.g. Amazon’s Alexa) to maximise residents’ chances at continuing to live independently
- Ensuring all providers work to the same high standard
The Council said the key changes were shaped by the content of focus groups, telephone conversations, provider forums and surveys which collated feedback and information from residents who use care services.
The Council underlined the content of the consultations as what shaped the proposed changes.
“We have been engaging with people who use these services, their families and providers to redesign them and make sure they meet their specific needs,” Kingston Council’s website stated.
The Council has highlighted domiciliary care–a range of care that supports an individual in their own home–as the first division of service to receive reform.
All information on Kingston Council’s ASC services can be found at: https://www.kingston.gov.uk/info/200181/adult_social_care.
