What steps is the Welsh Government taking to guarantee the geographical equality of service quality for a proposed national care service across Wales?
In line with the Co-operation Agreement an Expert Group was established to report on practical steps towards a National Care Service for Wales and their report was submitted in October 2021. Having been persuaded by the recommendations within the report, we along with Designated Member, Cefin Campbell have published an Initial Implementation plan. This is Stage 1 of a three-staged approach and sets out the activity and research that we will undertake to end of this government term. A key factor in creating a National Care and Support Service will be national design principles for social care which will bring about greater consistency in the provision and quality of social care services.
Through our Rebalancing Care and Support Programme we are also establishing a National Framework for Commissioning Care and Support services. This legislative framework sets out principles and standards for commissioning practices and will be established through a statutory Code of Practice, this will apply to the commissioning of care and support services by Local Authorities, Local Health Boards and NHS Trusts. The principles and standards for commissioning practice aim to reduce complexity and rebalance commissioning to focus on quality and outcomes. The development of the National Framework is an important part of our journey towards a National Care and Support Service and provides some of the necessary foundations for its implementation.
We are also establishing a National Office for Care and Support which will have a key role in the implementation of the National Framework and in taking forward the National Care Service Implementation plan. One of the key features of the National Office will be to maintain an oversight of the social care sector in Wales, and driving forward transformation and consistency by working closely with Local Authorities and the sector as a whole.
The social care sector is very important, delivering care to thousands of people across Wales each day. In line with the recommendations of the Expert Group focussing on ‘what matters’ to people and putting people at the heart of social care services will remain a key factor in moving towards a National Care Service.