Priorities - Director of Community Services 

Mark Howell

A key element of the Isle of Wight JSNA is the analysis done by Dr Foster for the IOW Council. This analysis shows that:

• We have an older population forecast to grow rapidly over the next ten years and demand for social care services will rise by 18%.
• We have a largely white British population and relatively high rates of home ownership.
• We have some areas of high deprivation with suicide having a higher than average impact on the life expectancy of young men and older people. 
• We have high rates of informal care in rural and affluent areas
• We have high than average rates of access to social care services particularly in the more deprived areas.
• We have a small percentage of the population living in areas of deprivation who make relatively high demand on health
• and social care services due to their lifestyle choices and ability to access services.
• We have insufficient supply of affordable housing to enable people to live in decent homes. 

In addition to these overall statistics we know that demand for our social care services, housing and supporting people services are increasing year on year. We have also seen an increase in the use of leisure facilities and activity based programmes which shows a greater awareness and understanding of the need to keep fit and healthy as part of the health and well being agenda.

The Health and Well Being Strategy has set four key outcomes to be achieved:

• Reduce levels of obesity in all ages.
• Improve the health and emotional wellbeing and life expectancy across the Island.
• Support vulnerable people to live independent lives.
• Ensure people of all ages have places to live and things to do in their local area.  

Each year in Community Services we set objectives to commission and deliver services which will ensure those outcomes are achieved. These are set out below and the detail can be seen in our service plans which are published on the IOW Council website. 

Community Care  - Transforming the future in adult social care:

• We will empower people to have their own budgets and direct their own care.
• We will manage our staff into new roles, with new skills to achieve personalisation of social care delivery.
• We will commission services to be flexible across the needs of individuals, tailored and responsive to individual need.
• We will engage the community so that local people have greater influence over the development of plans and quality of services. 

Housing - Decent Homes for All

• We will maximise the provision of affordable housing.
• We will tackle homelessness and reduce the use of temporary accommodation.
• We will provide choice and improved access to affordable housing.
• We will stimulate the private sector rented housing.
• We will deliver support to people in tenancies. 

Culture and Leisure  - More People,More Active ,More Often:

• We will get more people,more active,more often through having fit for purpose leisure facilities
• We will reduce obesity levels through increasing the number of people taking part in sport and physical activity
• We will develop a sense of people and place to increase the access to cultural information and knowledge
• We will improve life chances through increasing access to skills and learning development