£8m boost for services to support older people in South East Wales
17 Dec 2014 12:39 PM
The Welsh Government is investing £8m in services to support older people and help maintain their independence across South East Wales, Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford said recently.
The Minister recently visited the Llys Nant y Mynydd extra care facility in Nantyglo, near Ebbw Vale, part of a wider £220,000 project funded by the Welsh Government’s £50m Intermediate Care Fund to increase independent living in enhanced extra care facilities in the Blaenau Gwent area.
The Intermediate Care Fund was set up to promote older people’s independence and help ease pressure on NHS Wales by preventing unnecessary admissions to hospital and residential care settings and preventing delayed discharges from hospital.
More than 20 projects have been set up to date in the South East Wales area, including additional services for older people in their own homes, in care homes or in sheltered housing. A new service to support people with dementia and those who have suffered a stroke in their own home will also be developed as part of the fund.
Other Intermediate Care Fund projects include:
- Step up and step--down services - such as beds installed in people’s homes and care settings, which provide an an alternative to hospital or longer-term care
- A community service for people recovering from brain injuries
- Sensory impairment support services, provided by the voluntary sector, providing assessment support for those with sensory impairment, particularly in relation to minor adaptations
- Equipment adaptations through Care and Repair to prevent hospital admission and support timely discharge, including rapid response adaptations
- Piloting use of a seven-day community resource team.
Professor Drakeford said:
“Our investment through the Intermediate Care Fund is enabling health, housing and social services to work together with the third and independent sectors on some very innovative projects to support older people to maintain their independence and remain in their own homes.
“These projects provide an excellent opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of older people.”
The Intermediate Care Fund formed part of the 2014-15 Welsh budget agreed jointly with Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats.