A new approach to Day Opportunities for older people in Cambridgeshire
Consultation has concluded
A new approach to Day Opportunities for older people in Cambridgeshire
We would like to hear your views on our new approach to day opportunities for older people (65+) in Cambridgeshire. We have developed this approach from what people have already told us, but we need to make sure we have considered all the possible affects this might have on people.
What are Day Opportunities?
Day opportunities (sometimes called day services) for older people offer social interaction, activities, a cooked meal, and physical and emotional support. They can help people to remain living within their own homes and communities by, contributing to their overall well-being, and providing family and unpaid carers a break from their caring role.
How do we currently offer Day Opportunities to older people?
Day opportunities for older people are provided by 3 council run services in Fenland, East Cambridgeshire, and Cambridge City and 17 grant funded services across the county. Our council run services only support people who have been assessed by a social care worker as having ‘eligible needs’ – this means the needs people have for care and support that the council is required by law to meet. People are likely to have 'eligible needs' if they need a lot of help to do things like washing themselves, getting dressed, getting in and out of bed, and keeping their home safe. The grant funded services support people with eligible needs and those without i.e., any older person in the community. These people are supported to stay independent, stay connected to other people and promote wellbeing, often helping delay the need for other types of social care and support. Services have traditionally been building based groups that open between 9am-3pm Monday – Friday, people have told us this is not necessarily the way they want to be supported to remain independent and socially connected.
A review of our current Day Opportunities offer.
A review showed the way we currently provide Older Persons Day Opportunities, does not seem to be meeting the needs of the older population and could provide better value for money.
Our Plans
We plan to:
- Buy services to support people with ‘eligible needs’ in Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire. This would be through a contract with one or more providers.
- Split the remaining budget by district, co-develop new grants and allow the voluntary and community sector to bid for these.
Please read the accompanying document ‘A new approach to Day Opportunities for Older People in Cambridgeshire - information,’ before completing this short survey. The document explains the Council’s plans for offering grants for older people’s day opportunities going forward and how local people have been involved in developing this plan.
5 face-to-face drop-in sessions are also being held across Cambridgeshire. These are being held to allow us to provide more detailed information on work to date, provide a chance for you to ask questions, and give support for completing the survey. Dates and locations can be found in the 'Key Dates' section on the right hand side of the screen.
