Opening the window on adult social care in Bucks

The latest annual review on how adult social care has performed over the last year has just been published by Buckinghamshire County Council.

Nearly 9,000 adults were helped with care and support from adult social care last year, which includes 6,193 people over the age of 65. During the year the care management teams completed over 18,500 assessments and reviews.

The review shows that, for 2014/15 the biggest cost to the Council in caring for adults was for placing people in care homes at £52.8 million, with the next largest spend being for looking after people in their own home costing £44 million.

Mike Appleyard, cabinet member for Health & Wellbeing, said: “Not many of our residents know of the extent of our care and support services, how many people we help and what it costs. The Local Account gives everyone the ability to learn more about what we do.”

As well as information on the key performance areas of adult social care, this year’s review has a focus on life stories and experiences from people who work with the council as volunteers or partner organisations. In the review, Ian Cormack says that as a full time carer for his wife who has multiple sclerosis, he would become exhausted and bad-tempered if it wasn’t for the help he receives from adult social care and his involvement with Carers Bucks, the organisation that provides help and support to carers on the Council’s behalf.

The review also highlights the review of mental health services and the setting up of a multi-agency Mental Health Urgent Care Development Board to develop better services as well as strengthen the pathway for effective and appropriate services.

The full report – ‘A window on care and support in Buckinghamshire’ is available on the Council’s website: www.buckscc.gov.uk/local-account