A document to help provide an insight into the adult domiciliary care market in the county for care providers and people living in Powys has been published by the council.

Domiciliary Care and Support in Powys for Adults – Market Position Statement 2021/22 identifies the council’s vision for adult domiciliary care and direct payments – as part of the council’s Vision 2025 corporate plan – along with some of the challenges the county faces and how the council is working to address these.

The document also contains valuable live data relating to the delivery of domiciliary care across the county.

An example of the challenges facing the sector is recruitment into the domiciliary care workforce. Powys County Council has worked with the care sector to deliver the Bronze level within the Powys Pledge.

Independent care providers promise that they will offer a certain level of conditions of employment (for example, the National Living Wage and paid travel time at the same level). The council is now working with the sector to move towards the Silver level in the near future.

Councillor Myfanwy Alexander is the council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Adult Social Care.

She said: “The private home care sector are key partners for us as we look after our more vulnerable residents and this document gives us an insight into this important relationship: we share an aspiration for excellence in providing care to our citizens.”

Dylan Owen the Head of Commissioning and Partnership within the council’s social care team.added: “The council spends around £20m each year on domiciliary care provision for adults in Powys – this is a significant element of the council’s expenditure, which supports people to live independently in their own homes, as well as providing jobs for more than 450 people in Powys.”

“Part of this expenditure includes money given to service users who manage their own care through the use of Direct Payments and you can find out more about this approach https://cy.powys.gov.uk/article/1580/Daliadau-Uniongyrchol.”

The council also has its own domiciliary care workforce which is an additional investment in domiciliary care and support within the county.

The document sets out how the population is increasing slowly overall. However, the working age population is declining significantly and is expected to create further pressure on the domiciliary care market.

Mr Owen added: “I should mention that our partners, Credu provide support for unpaid carers – for example a husband who supports his wife with dementia.

“I cannot state strongly enough how much we value the work of unpaid carers in Powys and I would encourage them to contact Credu if they feel they need support.”

Credu can be contacted via https://www.carers.cymru/credu

It also talks about how information and advice is a key part of the wider ambitions to help people live independently for longer. Initiatives the council promotes include:

• AskSara – an online self-help guide to illustrate what support is available in the county – Powys County Council–AskSARA (livingmadeeasy.org.uk)

• Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) Community Connectors who help people access community services and activities. Community Connectors (pavo.org.uk)

• Powys Befriending Service, which aims to help people over the age of 50 maintain and develop social networks. Befriending (pavo.org.uk)

• InfoEngine – an online directory of third sector support across Wales. https://en.infoengine.cymru/

• Dewis – A directory that works alongside InfoEngine to show private support available. https://www.dewis.wales/

The publication can be found online at https://cy.powys.gov.uk/article/11314/Ein-Strategaethau-an-Cynlluniau-ar-Un-Dudalen. Should anyone wish to copy a paper, please contact the Council’s Commissioning team by e-mailing [email protected]