McDonald invites SWIA to consider Glasgow proposals

Following concerns regarding the introduction of Glasgow’s new policy of Personalisation for social care, Bailie David McDonald – SNP Spokesperson on Social Care – has written to the Social Work Inspection Agency to call for an independent investigation into the likely impact of the policy as introduced by the Council.

The move has been supported by a number of organisations, including The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland and Carers Scotland.  Bailie McDonald said: “While the SNP Group supports the principle of Personalisation, we share the concerns of many service users and their carers that the changes being introduced are not solely about improving service provision.

“Given these concerns, we feel that it is appropriate to call for an independent investigation of the Personalisation policy in Glasgow.  Only by allowing an impartial view of the process can service users and the wider public be satisfied that the services provided are of the highest quality and the best value for our city”.    Lynn Williams from The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Fiona Collie of Carers Scotland said: "The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Carers Scotland, along with other organisations supports personalisation within the context of social care provision.  Personalisation should give carers and their families more control over the support they receive, and should help learning disabled adults and children to live full lives whilst enabling those who care for them to have their own quality of life and to have good health.  When this agenda is pushed through speedily and masks cuts to support on offer, then we need to be more concerned about the wider interpretation and subsequent impact of the policy. 

“The Scottish Government and CoSLA recognised in the recently published Carers’ Strategy, “Caring Together” that more effective support for carers and young carers, and for the voluntary organisations which exist to provide emotional and practical support for unpaid carers is needed.  Older carers who are looking after adult children with learning disabilities need to be treated as equal partners in care and supported to plan for the future.  Instead they are worrying about what will happen now and how they will cope when the support they currently receive is changed or cut. 

“Carers’ organisations have consistently emphasised that they will work with Glasgow City Council to help implement personalisation – but the speedy push and approach being taken is both isolating and worrying carers and their families – the work that these people do, unpaid, underpins the delivery of statutory services to the tune of almost £1 billion in Glasgow alone. A lack of effective support for unpaid carers is damaging - already illustrated by the fact that Glasgow does not fare well in relation to admissions/readmissions to hospital and to residential care, and provision of intensive home care.  Poor implementation of self directed support in Glasgow will only exacerbate this."

Notes:

Glasgow City Council’s Executive Committee approved the policy of Personalisation at it’s meeting on 7 October 2010. The agenda and papers can be accessed here.

The letter to the SWIA is below:

I am writing to you to ask you to scrutinise and evaluate a recent decision by Glasgow City Council to introduce a new policy of Self Directed Payments/Personalisation of Social Care as part of an ongoing review of adult learning disability services.

The process of moving towards personalisation should be a welcome one, as it should provide a means of empowering individuals and should lead to improvements in their health and wellbeing.  However, numerous concerns have been raised by a host of national and local carer organisations as well as individual carers and service users.  These concerns are varied, yet there seems to be little evidence that these legitimate concerns are being taken on board by the Social Care department or its political head, Councillor Matthew Kerr.

I have attached three documents outlining some of these concerns from the following organisations and with their consent.  The Learning Disability Alliance Scotland, Carers Scotland, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Carers Planit. I would be most grateful if you would study the content of these documents and consider whether there is sufficient scope for an investigation into the personalisation policy and its likely impact on services users, their carers and families.

Yours sincerely,

Bailie David McDonald