Consultation on Proposals for Care Services in Barrow-in-Furness

This consultation sought views on proposals for the types of care services Cumbria County Council would like to see provided in Barrow-in-Furness in the future.

The following recommendations are based completely on what respondents to the public consultation and older people living in the four affected residential homes in Barrow in Furness have said.

There was a remarkable degree of agreement and consistency in what people told us. All respondents whether service users or not thought it was a good idea to enable older people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible providing certain safeguards were in place. We recommend that these issues should be further addressed by the Council. They included:

Ensuring the domiciliary care workforce were of a sufficiently high standard and resourced in order to provide reliable, consistent and dependable care for older people.

That the older people did not feel isolated, lonely or cut off from the rest of their community.

That the older people were safe, secure and knew where to go if they needed help.

For example a training programme based on good practice and including as trainers some of the older people would benefit the workforce.

People, in the main, agreed that ‘assistive technology’ could be utilized in a helpful way to enable people to live independently for longer. People did however express concern over assistive technology being used:

so we recommend that this is monitored carefully.

As people did not think that a 60 bed new home would adequately meet the needs of people in the future it would be our recommendation that this be revisited with the possibility of expanding this as needs dictate.

Extra care housing was viewed very positively by respondents to the public questionnaire and residents alike. We recommend the Council considers developing more of these schemes. Extra care housing should be designed to enable independent living for as long as possible.

Any new provision should attempt to replicate the ‘homely’ atmosphere that residents enjoy in some of the present homes.

Many residents were clearly upset with the thought of a move. Two recommendations were made by residents to help allay these fears:

Being able to move with people they knew, with staff and/or resident’s friendship groups.

Staff and residents being kept closely informed of all developments as they happen.

Many residents of present residential homes do not want to return to living independently. They seemed resigned to this and care should be taken when discussing their future needs.

It was clear from spending time with residents that regardless of age or impairment they all had important ideas and views. Having personal contact and building a relationship seems vitally important in helping people plan for the future. It was clear that residents feel it is important that whatever the final conclusion to the consultation process that they are involved in planning for their own lives and are given reasonable options and choices. We recommend that a comprehensive person-centred approach is implemented at an early stage to support individual residents in making decisions about their future.

The majority of residents did not have an allocated social worker as most had been in the home for some time. Although most residents had some family support, there were others with very limited or no family to offer support. We recommend that at the very least those without active family support are offered longer term independent advocacy during the period of consultation and change. Ideally we recommend that a permanent advocacy resource is made available for this resident group to access as and when they require it.

We acknowledge that the results of this consultation will be fed back to residents; during our work residents asked that someone comes and explains directly to them in person what the report means and what will happen as a result of its findings.

Finally resident’s access needs should be taken fully on board in the design of any new provision. For example: electronic doors; appropriate lighting; parking for mobility scooters; hearing loops and width of corridors.

The council to look at other services they provide to their general population and see if they could be offered to the residents of a new home or extra care housing. For example, mobile library services; access to leisure activities, shops, education and transport.

Consultation on Proposals for Care Services in Barrow-in-Furness - Findings