Plans to provide more ‘extra care’ homes for older people submitted

Glen Lodge

Glen Lodge

Plans to meet the care and support needs of York’s older people are continuing to gather pace with the submission of a planning application to extend the facilities at Glen Lodge Extra Care facility.

The proposals are part of the council’s plans to modernise accommodation for older people in the city giving them more choice and control about the care and support they receive, as well as meeting the increased demand: in the next 15 years the number of people aged over 75 will increase by 50%.

The plans will go through the normal planning process and be considered by the Planning Committee in the new year.

They involve building 25 new flats and two bungalows, each having access to 24/7 ‘extra care’ support, providing residents with flexible care in their own home. Each of the homes has been specially designed to meet the meets of people with complex care needs, including dementia.

The proposals have met with support from residents and neighbours and, if approved, building will begin in 2016 and be completed by summer 2017.

Council set to consult people with learning difficulties

Adults (aged 18 and over) with Learning Disabilities and their family and carers are being invited to talk about their experiences of living in York as part of plans to improve services.

People are invited to attend one of two engagement sessions on Monday 14 September at Tang Hall Community Centre from 1-3pm or at the Priory Street Centre on Monday 28 September from 11am-1pm.

The sessions, which will be run by Inclusion North – an organisation promoting the inclusion of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers – will focus on a wide range of issues including:

  • Travelling in York.
  • Leisure activities and keeping healthy.
  • Keeping safe and hate crime.
  • Growing old and planning for the future.
  • Getting a job and learning new skills.
  • Young people moving into adulthood.
  • People being placed in services outside the local area.

The sessions have been organised by the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Partnership Board, which is part of York’s Health and Wellbeing Board. (more…)

York Council appoints new social care Director

City of York Council has appointed Martin Farran as the Director of Adult Social Care, subject to final recruitment protocols, to take over the post from Interim Director Guy Van Dichele from October.

Before taking on his role in Barnsley in 2005, he was a senior manager working across adults’ and children’s services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council. (more…)

New IT system in York will benefit disadvantaged children

A new IT system will put children at its heart while freeing social workers to spend even more time with young people and their families.

kids-child-computer-860

The new MOSAIC system for City of York Council’s Children’s Services is a state-of-the-art system which will map the work being done with over 1,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families in the city, to ensure that they are given the right help at the right time to improve their life chances.

It will have a secure online portal which will allow parents, carers and the children and young people themselves to participate in the planning and review of the work being done to support them
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Carers Week (8-14 June)

Groups across the city are joining forces to celebrate Carers Week 2015.

carers-week

Cares Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.

It’s estimated that there are over 18,000 carers in York alone, with around 1,300 under the age of 18. Many carers have been caring for their relatives or friends for a considerable period of time and also have other roles and responsibilities such as employment, education or other caring roles.

This year, the Carers Week campaign focuses on building ‘Carer Friendly Communities. Communities’ which support carers to look after their loved ones well, while recognising that they are individuals with needs of their own.

Activities happening throughout the week in York include:

Monday 8 June:

York Carers Forum are holding a Carers Services at York Minster at 1.20pm for anyone involved in caring, or those being cared for.

Tuesday 9 June

York Carers Centre will be hosting a stall in the main reception of York District Hospital to raise awareness and hand out information.

Wednesday 10 June

York Carers Centre is inviting carers from across York to meet over lunch, share the problems they face and explore what can be done to make a difference. Leading on from the theme of Carers Week 2015 ‘building carer friendly communities’, carers are being invited to attend Briar House Resources between 1 to 3pm to form a new group – York Carers Action Group – which will regularly meet to help drive change and enable carers voices to be heard amongst key decision makers, especially through City of York Council and the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group.

Please contact Sharron Smith for further details on 01904 715490or email sharron.smith@yorkcarerscentre.co.uk

York Carer Centre’s volunteers will also be leading a newspaper nail art session in Tesco’s community room, Askham Bar between 1.30 to 3.30pm.

Thursday 11 June

A new toolkit for carers in or thinking about getting involved in Higher Education launches at York St. John’s  University. Created by The Carers Trust and National Network of Universities Supporting Young Adult Carers the toolkit is designed to help students with caring responsibilities to access and succeed in HE.

The toolkit highlights the struggles a Young Adult Carer can face and how to best support them so that they can reach their full potential.  A conference for universities and other professionals who work with people in HE will be held at York St Johns University on Thursday to promote the toolkit..

For more information on the University Toolkit please contact Hayley on 01904 715490or email hayley.robson@yorkcarerscentre.co.uk

Staff and volunteers from York Carers Centre will be raising awareness of carers at Sainsbury’s, Monks Cross.

Friday 12 June (National Young Carers Day)

Carers are invited to join York Carers Centre for afternoon tea at the Archbishop’s Palace in Bishopthorpe to celebrate the end of Carers Week. For more information or to book call 01904 715490or email enquiries@yorkcarerscentre.co.uk

Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June Young carers and young adult

carers will be bag packing at Sainsbury’s, Monks Cross.

Guy Van Dichele, Interim Director of Adult Social Care, City of York Council, said: “Carers are a vitally important, but often forgotten part of a local community and it’s crucial that we help support them in what can be a difficult and isolating role. I’m particularly looking forward to working with the newly formed York Carers Action Group to see how we can help and support carers in the city.”

For more information on any of the events contact York Carers Centre 01904 715490 or visit http://www.yorkcarerscentre.co.uk/.

Fresh look for York Connect to Support – Core Information and Advice eMarketplace

Connect to support

click to access

 

A website offering information about local services, providers and activities and groups for adults needing care and support has a fresh new look this month.

Connect to Support York has been updated and refreshed to ensure that the information on the site is inline with new national changes to care and support as laid out in the Care Act legislation.

The site enables people to find out about activities and groups in their local area; source information and advice, and purchase their own help and support directly from provider organisations.
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Care improvements available in York from 1st April

Health and social care partners across York are asking people to find out what the new national care reforms will mean for them as the significant reform across social care – the first in over 60 years – comes into effect from 1st April.

The key changes are:

1.   Carers will have expanded rights to assessment and to council support. This change puts carers on the same footing as those they care for, allowing them to get the support they need for themselves. This could be practical support like being able to take a break from caring responsibilities or they may be entitled to a direct payment to spend on things that will make it easier to carry on caring.

2.   The changes will introduce a new national eligibility threshold, providing peace of mind that wherever you live in the country, or plan to move to within England, if your needs meet the threshold, you will be eligible for support. This new eligibility threshold has already been adapted in York.

3.   Deferred payment agreements will become available across the country meaning that people should not have to sell their home in their lifetime to fund their care costs. In York, the new legislation will strengthen the existing arrangements.

Guy Van Dichele, Director of Adult Social Care, City of York Council says: “We are committed to working with partners to support local people with their needs for care and support. We’re confident that the changes we are making will enable more people to get the help they need, whether that’s a carer who needs a break from caring or someone who may be able to move to a care home without having to undergo the stress of selling their home.”

A Department of Health spokesperson says: “Care and support is something that nearly everyone in this country will experience at some point in their lives. These changes – the most significant in over 60 years – will make the system fairer by putting the needs, wishes and goals of people, and their carers, at the heart of every care decision.”

For more information on the Care Act visit www/york.gov.uk/careact

Social care payments made easier

City of York Council Adult Social Care customers will find it simpler and easier to pay for their care and support services in the future.

In line with new social care legislation – The Care Act 2014 – which becomes law on 1 April, the council has made some changes to the way that it supports people with the funds they receive for care and support.

Residents who receive direct payments – money from the council that they use to pay for their care and support directly – will have it paid into a prepaid account called Cash Plus from 1 April. They can then use the Cash Plus account like a normal current account to pay for the support they need.

The new arrangements mean that the vast majority of social care customers receiving direct payments will use the Cash Plus account, rationalising previous arrangements, though some flexibility will still be available.

Michael Melvin, Interim Assistant Director of Adult Social Care, City of York Council, said: “Directs Payments help to give people more control over their care and support and the new arrangements will make the system simpler and easier for them to use.”

Social Care project flop cover up continues

Behind closed doors logoLabour Councillors continued to obstruct attempts to get at the truth behind the Lowfields Care village fiasco when the Council held a review meeting last night.

Despite revelations yesterday that senior Councillors have known for at least a year that the planned scheme was “unaffordable”, the Labour Council leadership continues to be in a  state of denial.

Meeting minutes revealed that official had blamed “gold plated” building standards for the failure of the project. They had been reluctant to admit the failures because it “could have affected the credibility of the Councils flagship rewiring project”.

The plan had been to keep the mistakes under wraps until after the Council election in May.  But sustained questioning by Opposition Councillors, coupled with the need to respond to Freedom of Information requests, finally forced the public admission last month.

They now hope to sell the site (a valuation of £2 million has been put on it) but appear to have already decided that 100 homes will be built there.

Other than the normal planning application consultation, residents will have no opportunity to influence this decision.

The present Council now only has about 6 weeks to run. Hopefully a more enlightened regime will take over after May 7th.

Only then is the real truth about the fiasco – which is set to cost taxpayers around £1 million – likely to emerge.

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