The aim is to create annual savings of £3.45m to help balance the council’s budget and protect statutory services in the future.
These proposals are not to do with the Council’s duty to meet the eligible needs of adults for care and support. The council will continue to meet its responsibilities toward people with assessed eligible needs, irrespective of these proposals.
Wellbeing Services in the Community and Community Navigation aim to help people take a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing, increase independence, and prevent, reduce or delay the need for additional care and support services.
All Wellbeing Services in the Community and Community Navigation commissioned contracts currently cost (financial year 2024-25) a total of £17.41million.
The proposed changes are to:
Reduce the level of funding for Wellbeing Services in the Community that support people over the age of 55 and redesign the way they are provided. Such as peer support or creative and physical activities.
Stop funding the Community Navigation services that support people over the age of 55. Community Navigators help people in need of information and guidance, emotional and practical support, or help to access a range of community or health and social care services.
Stop funding the ‘Innovation Fund’ in the Mental Health Community and Wellbeing Service for adults of all ages. This provides small pots of short-term funding for providers to test new approaches that may inform longer-term improvements.
All residents would still be able to contact the wellbeing services where there would initially be a triage to determine the level of support required. If people are assessed as needing low level support, they would be given information, advice and guidance. But if assessed as needing medium to higher levels the wellbeing service would determine what support is needed and available. If needed, people would be referred/connected with other services such as Social Care Connect.
There are also many other prevention services that will continue such as:
- Wellbeing Services in the Community for people with dementia and their families
- Wellbeing Services in the Community for those with a physical disability
- Wellbeing Services for adults with sensory impairments in the community
- Mental Health Wellbeing Services in the Community (with the exception of the Innovation Fund)
- Community Navigation for Carers
KCC wellbeing and independence services will also continue to be provided, and the council will continue to promote other services available in Kent on the Kent Connect to Support website.
“Our aim is to remove any duplication of service provision and maximise our use of limited resources with a focus on areas of greatest need ...”
Dan Watkins, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: “I understand people will be concerned about the potential impact of this proposal to reduce funding for wellbeing services across Kent. We have worked with our four lead commissioned providers of these services to develop this proposal to mitigate this as much as possible. I can reassure people that those assessed as having eligible care needs will not be impacted and there will be no change to any statutory social care services for residents.
“The council’s need to find significant budget savings this year, and in the future, have been well documented. There continues to be a considerable rise in the number of people accessing adult social care services which currently represents 43.5% of KCC’s overall budget spend. Grants from government and the adult social care council tax levy have fallen well short of actual costs and we must find £54m savings this year to balance the budget for the Adult Social Care service alone.
“Regretfully, this leaves us with no choice but to make some very difficult decisions.
“Since the contracts for the wellbeing providers were put in place in 2019/20 the council has been looking at how it can redesign service delivery to be more targeted and efficient whilst encouraging people take a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing.
“For example, during this time, information and advice services have been enhanced across the council and its partners, but this has caused some areas of duplication. This proposal aims to reduce these duplications and better focus the limited funding that would be available on those residents with mid to high level needs whilst contributing to the much-needed saving of around £3.45m each year.
“The wellbeing services affected by this proposal can, and do, access funding from sources other than the council and we will continue to support them by providing ongoing information on national, regional and local sources of funding and grants.
“I encourage everyone to share their views on this proposal, particularly if you access, or provide wellbeing services in the community.”
The consultation opened today (26 November 2024) and will run for 9 weeks closing on 27 January 2025. The outcome of the consultation will go to Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee in March 2025.
To take part in the consultation.
Please let us know your views by visiting kent.gov.uk/wellbeingconsultation and completing the online questionnaire.
This consultation will run for 9 weeks from 26 November 2024 until 27 January 2025.
Paper copies and contact details:
If you would like to request paper copies of the consultation material, or if you have any questions about this consultation, please contact us by:
Email: innovationandpartnerships@kent.gov.uk
Telephone: 03000 415846
Easy Read and Large Print versions of this document are available from our website or on request.
If you need any of the consultation material in any other format or language, please email alternativeformats@kent.gov.uk or telephone on 03000 42 15 53 (text relay service 18001 03000 42 15 53). This number goes to an answer machine, which is monitored during office hours.
