A NEW model of delivering day care in Powys has been described as “hazy and nebulous” by a senior councillor.
At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Health and Care scrutiny committee on Wednesday, April 16 councillors were given a presentation on Powys County Council’s move towards “day opportunities” for adults with care and support needs and older people.
The service reorganisation is seen as a move away from the day care centre based services in the county.
The reorganisation’s success will be partly dependent on group of co-ordinators who will be tasked with finding and publicising the day care opportunities for people in their area, as well as organising work with volunteers.
Cllr Glyn Preston (Liberal Democrat) said: “One of the challenges is the need to improve how widely information is shared and people are made aware of the services on offer in their locality.
“I’m really interested in the addition of these local area coordinators; how will they interact with the community connectors service which is delivered through PAVO (Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations).”
Head of adult social services Sharon Frewin: “It’s a key premise of the whole new model, there’s lots of different sources of information and it can be really confusing and difficult to navigate those things.
“The idea is that the coordinators will do just that, they will be overarching in the five hubs.”
These are the five main towns in the county, Brecon, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, Welshpool and Ystradgynlais where services will be centralised under the “sustainable” Powys mantra.
Ms Frewin explained that these five coordinators would then connect with organisations in the 13 localities of Powys to “understand” what day opportunities are available across their geographical area.
Ms Frewin added: “There is work to do on that model, what that looks like, what we call it.”
She believed residents could help shape the model.
Cllr Carol Robinson (Liberal Democrat) brought up the role of volunteers in the new model.
Cllr Robinson said: “My worry is that we’re going to be relying on volunteers all the time.”
Ms Frewin said: “It’s something we need to work on through our local coordination model to understand how we encourage more people into volunteering.”
She added that people were suffering “volunteering fatigue.”
More caring responsibilities and the cost of living crisis were putting “barriers” in allowing people to volunteer during their free time explained Ms Frewin.
Ms Frewin said: “What we’re hoping, is that having more refined ways of finding where the volunteering opportunity is and identifying people with the skills, we can increase the volunteer pool.
“But that is not to be relied upon.”
Committee chairwoman, Cllr Amanda Jenner (Conservative): “It’s very difficult for us to be assured on some of this because it is so hazy and nebulous.
“Until the model is embedded it’s difficult for us to know the support will be there for volunteer groups.”
Cllr Preston suggested that a further report on the scheme needs to return to the committee in six to 12 months to review its implementation.
Recommendations from the committee will be added to the report before it goes to a meeting of the Liberal Democrat/Labour cabinet for a decision.
If they agree the changes will be operational by the autumn.
