Healthwatch Representatives Feedback Form Representative name

Healthwatch Representatives Feedback Form

Representative name	Martin Haddon & Colleen Bowen
Meeting	“The Future Today” Advisory Board (Wandsworth Adult Social Services consultative meeting)
Date & Time	30 September 2014 2.30 - 4.15 pm (quarterly)
Who attended	20 or 30 people, mostly regular attenders, a mix of service users, carers, service providers and Social Services staff. Chaired by Rob Persey, Head of the Joint Commissioning Unit.
Key issues	Rob reported that, as indicated at the previous meeting, resources devoted to servicing the Board had had to be cut. In future minutes will not be issued and papers will be circulated, electronically only, to a reduced list based on those who attended. There was a presentation on the Care Act 2014, particularly those aspects coming into force in April 2015. These included new national eligibility criteria for social care (the detail of which was still not known but the Council did not expect significant changes in eligibility); a legal right to support for carers; the introduction of deferred payments (eg where property needed to be sold); and a new right for self-funders to seek local authority help in purchasing services. The Council was gearing itself up to prepare for these changes. The cap on care-related costs will be implemented until 2016. There was also a presentation to announce a forthcoming programme of consultation on the Council’s Market Position Statement under the Care Act which gives local authorities responsibility for shaping the market to ensure availability of quality and choice. This will set out the direction of policy and a range of supporting statistical and other information on supply, demand and resourcing across each of the main social care groups. Consultation on a draft Market Position Statement will begin with a comprehensive provider forum in November. There will be a “Your Day, Your Say” conference for service users and carers on 14 November. An update will be brought to the next Advisory Board meeting on 13 January 2015. In discussion a number of people, including Colleen, stressed the need for the Market Position Statement to be understandable to service users and carers. The market should be seen from the customer’s point of view and increase their range of choice. The low wages paid by some providers to their care staff was also mentioned as an issue needing to be tackled. Concerns were expressed about the likelihood of further cuts in expenditure.
Healthwatch Actions	Healthwatch will need to consider how to keep in touch with the development of the Council’s Market Position Statement and participate in the consultation process.
The Meeting in one sentence (for blog, FB, Tweeter, newsletter)	Watch out for the Council’s draft Market Position Statement on social care and have your say!