SOMERSET Council could be transforming how it delivers Adult Social Care in the region. 

On May 31, the council's Adults and Health Scrutiny Committee will be reviewing proposals which focus more on promoting people's independence in the sector, which could drive savings in the cost of care services. These proposals are part of a review procured in November 2022.

The review found opportunities to focus more on preventative services, community support and reablement support for people leaving hospital. This could lead to:

• 700 more people benefiting from reablement every year. 

• 200,000+ fewer hours of homecare needing to be commissioned every year. 

• 80 fewer residential placements needing to be commissioned every year. 

• 100 adults with a learning disability moving out of a residential home and back into the community. 

The review of care services, which is carried out by Newton Europe, identified that this could save up to £17.2 million per year. The council is discussing commissioning Newton Europe to support a transformation scheme at the cost of £3.5 million a year for two years, but with savings of £10 million per year.

The Adult Social Care team offers professional advice and can carry out a care assessment. If you feel like you could benefit, please call Somerset Council on 0300 123 2224.

Councillor Dean Ruddle, Somerset Council’s executive lead member for Adult Social Care, said: “We are exploring investing to save and investing to improve. One of our four priorities in the Council Plan is to support ‘a Healthy and Caring Somerset’. 

"While our Adult Social Care service is already performing well, we have to find ways of coping with the constant pressures of rising demand and the growing complexity of resident’s care needs.  

“If we are to continue to provide a high-quality service, we need to constantly explore how we can become more efficient whilst improving our care, and managing taxpayers’ money effectively.  Investing to save is investing in better serving our residents and fulfilling our statutory duty as a council.” 

As it stands, the current budget for Adult Social Care in Somerset is £186 million and accounts for 38% of the council’s revenue budget.