Social care on the Isle of Wight is changing. It is delivering the national transformation of care at a local level. This change has resulted from Putting People First, the concordat was signed by health providers across all sectors, the NHS Executive, central and local government, professional bodies and regulators, which was published in December 2007. The document jointly commits the signatories to a radical transformation of adult care services over the next three years.
Adult Services will maximise the independence, choice and control of people who experience periods of vulnerability and need support or protection due to age, illness or disability. Emphasis is placed on “personalisation”, where every person will have choice and control over the shape of their support, with a focus on early intervention and prevention. This will be achieved by working across boundaries, including services such as housing, benefits, leisure, transport and health, through partnerships with private and voluntary sector organisations.
Locally, the Memorandum of Understanding with the NHS PCT on the Island is a key part of this partnership approach. In the coming years, integrated strategies will be developed between the two organisations, to help people with learning disabilities, mental health issues, carers, and older people, particularly those with mental health needs. Adult Services plays a leading role in the Health and Wellbeing Board (link), which is chaired by our Cabinet lead for Adult social care.
The Island has introduced Free Home Care and Self Assessment and has more people accessing InControl. Particular emphasis will be placed on the independence of vulnerable adults, and the service will work in partnership with colleagues in Cultural & Leisure Services and the health sector to deliver improvements.
Housing is high profile subject, both nationally and locally. The Council published a new Housing Strategy in 2007, which sets out the priorities of housing need across the Island. Specifically, Housing Services will be focusing on the provision and accessibility of adequate numbers of affordable decent homes, working with private sector providers to increase the amount of housing stock available as affordable housing. This is vital in securing homes for low-income families, keeping young people staying in their communities and keeping the Island’s local communities together as a result. This will be fundamental to the social wellbeing which underpins Eco Island.
Furthermore, the affordable homes already build on the Island will be targeted for energy-efficiency home improvements. New-build houses on Pan in Newport, and in other areas of the Island in time, will be Level 4 for energy efficiency. In this way, social and environmental sustainability are being addressed through the provision of affordable housing. This will involve partnership working with Planning Services.
The Housing Services team will also be working to reduce the numbers of homeless people living on the Island, through offering more choices on how homeless people can resolve their situation, giving more control and empowerment to vulnerable people in the community – another Eco Island priority.
Cultural & Leisure Services align service delivery with themes taken from the Cultural Strategy, and these align with the ISP’s priorities. The service focuses on opportunities for personal and community development, whether physical, emotional, intellectual or cultural. Through a range of services spanning leisure centres, community sport, local heritage, adult and community learning, art, libraries and one of the UK’s leading botanic gardens, Cultural & Leisure Services is well placed to contribute to the success of Eco Island.
The service will support the work of all four of the ISP’s themes, but its focus for the coming year will be within the Healthy and Supportive Island theme. Levels of child and adult obesity are high on the Island and Cultural & Leisure Services already have a good track record in getting people back into physical activities. The coming year will see a renewed focus on active pastimes, linked specifically to the health benefits of personal fitness and health, such as free swimming for children, and personal fitness screening in leisure centres. This work will be carried out in partnership with a range of organisations, notably health colleagues. The focus on physical activity will also be linked to the ongoing preparations for the 2011 Island Games, which will offer opportunities for the Island’s sporting elite to compete. The Games will also be used as a way of involving more people in sports, particularly identifying “talented and gifted” sporting young people, who will be helped to develop their talent and fulfil their personal potential. The Games will also inspire an Island-wide competition between schools, to further promote wellbeing.
Cultural & Leisure Services runs a large number of front-of-house sites, the most in the whole Council (libraries, leisure centres, museums, Ventnor Botanic Garden). It will be taking significant steps to reduce the Service’s carbon footprint, through the introduction of a range of energy efficiency measures in its buildings. Already successful in making its buildings more energy-efficient, the service will take this further, linking in with opportunities from the Thriving Island theme to pursue improvements in more of its sites. The Botanic Garden will be piloting recycled water projects, to develop more sustainable approaches to horticulture on site. It will also work with colleagues from Engineering Services to continue the roll-out of the One Million Blooms community planting programme, which supports the Safe and Well-Kept Island theme.
The service will continue its success in supporting people of all ages to succeed in learning, with a focus on the unique Carnival Learning Centre. 2008 is the National Year of Reading and the Island’s libraries will support the improved literacy of children and young people through the Summer Reading Challenge. This will contribute to the Inspiring Island theme. Adults will be supported to improve their skills and gain new qualifications. These service targets will support the Thriving Island theme, by contributing to improved skills and improved employment opportunities, to support the Island’s economic growth.
If you would like to comment on Eco Island or would like more information, please email info@eco-island.org.uk or visit the Eco Island contacts page.
