Council seeks views to build care services

Date published: 01/07/2008

Over the next three months Bury Council will be asking older people, carers,
staff and partner agencies to tell them how residential care services can be
tailored to ensure that more residents remain independent for longer.

Local and national research highlights that demand for residential care is
falling as more people want to stay in their own homes, remaining independent
for longer.

Council bosses are being urged to tackle this issue sooner rather than later
and the consultation will look at how services can be reshaped to meet the
needs of our local people.

The council wants older people, their families, care providers, staff and other
organisations to let them know what future care provision should look like.

Beverley Sullivan, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: "Older
people tell us that maintaining their independence is extremely important to
them and so this is the direction we need to follow. Choices will have to be
made and by consulting widely over an extended period, we are hoping to have an
open discussion and involve people so that they can inform the future of
services."

Pat Jones Greenhalgh, Director of Adult Services agrees; "It is clear that
fewer people want residential care and therefore we must look at freeing up
resources to fund more community based services. I would not see this as the
end of residential care as some places will always be required to provide an
essential safety net for those who can no longer cope in their own home."