Commissioning intentions
We believe that all residents should have the opportunity to remain as independent as they can be within a home of their own. Where we live can have a significant influence on how we can meet our health and wellbeing needs. For many customers who have care and support needs, the home environment can be an integral component for the effective delivery of care and meeting their care and support needs.
Warwickshire currently has over 960 purpose built selfcontained apartments, houses or bungalows across the county in over 22 HwC schemes. The county council has nomination rights on 700 units. It is our aspiration to grow the number of our schemes. Our current needs assessment indicates that there is forecasted demand for schemes across the county. We will work with the market to influence the development of HwC in line with our most recent demand estimates. We will explore the HwC model of care and accommodation with our customers as an alternative to residential care homes for those who have low to moderate care needs.
Building on the success of our schemes for disabled people aged 18+, we will explore options for developing services of this type for younger adults aged 16 to 25 and for people with Mental Health as a primary or secondary need.
Commissioners will also work with our colleagues in the five district and boroughs across Warwickshire in Planning and Housing Departments so that local planning policy and housing strategies support the delivery of HwC provision. Since the first schemes in Warwickshire were developed in 2008, the county council has worked with the housing authorities collaboratively to provide schemes across the county. We will continue to work with them to create the right environment for the growth of our HwC provision and to ensure that HwC is recognised as key feature of local planning policy and housing strategies. This approach not only meets our statutory responsibilities but also contributes to the overall well-being of the community. It reflects a commitment to making quality care accessible to all, ensuring that Warwickshire remains a place where residents can thrive and receive the support they deserve.
Alongside our commitment to quality, our Commissioning and Quality Assurance teams continue to collaborate closely with social care providers through ongoing communication, visits and access to training to support providers to improve quality of their services.
To achieve this aspiration the county council will work with providers to ensure that there is a sustainable and well-trained workforce that are able to meet the diversity of needs of our HwC customers. We will continue to shape the market by engaging with developers of HwC so that the availability of specialist provision will meet current and future demand.
We will continue to support care providers to maximise their use of assistive technology to ensure the quality of care and safety for customers, for example: where it can maximise independence; improve hydration; reduce medication errors; reduce falls; support those with learning disabilities; support those with dementia; and support carers.
If the number of people living with dementia increases as projected, there will be a growing demand for support services, including healthcare, social care, and community-based services. We will work with providers to assess the level of demand and how we can respond. In addition, there is a need for increased public awareness and education around dementia, including the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. This will help to reduce stigma and improve access to care and support for people living with dementia and their families.
We will continue to work with providers to improve health and wellbeing and prevent ill health for older people, building on the recommendations in the Warwickshire Healthy Ageing JSNA and Mental Health JSNA. Conditions that most impact on health in later life for Warwickshire residents include cancer. Ischaemic heart disease and dementia; back pain, hearing loss, diabetes, falls and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
We are committed to acting decisively to tackle climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Taking action now, so that we are a county with a sustainable future, is one of the key strategic priorities in the Council Plan. We have already started work towards our goals of reducing carbon emissions to net zero across the council by 2030 and to support us as a county to do the same by 2050 or earlier.