A plan has been drawn up to set out the work of Bradford Council's services for adults over the next five years.

The five year strategy for 2007 to 2012, which is being presented to the Council's executive tomorrow, aims to address the future challenges of the department which faces a growing number of people needing its services.

These include older people, people with physical disabilities, mental health and learning disabilities, people with sensory loss and carers.

In the next five years there will be more than 300 young people in the district with a learning disability who will eventually transfer to adult services' remit.

The strategy sets out six priorities for improvement, which are:

  • Equal access for all adults - breaking down barriers to mainstream activities such as leisure, learning and employment.
  • Promoting independence and well-being - through commissioning preventative and early intervention services from the voluntary and community sector.
  • Shift to home-based support and care for people with more intensive needs - by directing care to those with the greatest needs.
  • Choice and control - increasing people's choice and control of services to meet their needs.
  • Service redesign and improvement - services tailored around individuals and their families which meet national and local quality standards.
  • Integrated commissioning - working with the Primary Care Trust and partners to ensure joint commissioning of services is based on evidence of need.

Councillor Dale Smith, executive member for adult services, said: "We face a number of challenges in the years ahead, but this strategy seeks to address the growth in the number of service users we face and aims to give us closer working relationships with the Primary Care Trust, voluntary and community sector and other partners. This should equip us to confront these challenges."

The strategy also follows the guidelines of a Government White Paper called Our Health, Our Care, Our Service: A New Direction for Community Services issued last year which sets out the Government's intention to shift the emphasis of health and social care from acute and intensive interventions to community and preventative services.

An action plan is also being drawn up to set out how the district's growing older population is supported and what role it will play in the future The Older People's Partnership Strategy - Thinking about Tomorrow: Everybody's Business Today - also being presented to the executive tomorrow, seeks to strengthen the role of the district's growing over-50s population in the years to come and that of the partnership.

Set up two years ago, the group has a wide range of members and is led by Moira Wilson, the strategic director of the Council's adult services.

Its vision is for "all people over the age of 50 to be able to maintain their independence, feel valued and lead healthy, active and productive lives, confident that support will be available for them when and where they need it".

The strategy seeks to address the fact that the population of older people in the Bradford district is set to grow at a rapid rate, particularly for those aged 85 and above. It is expected to rise from 8,800 in 2007 to 14,000 by 2026.

Councillor Smith said: "Speaking as an older person myself, if older people are going to form a larger proportion of our population in the future it is vital that we use our voice to play an important role in transforming society.

"This strategy is a first step in ensuring older people do take their place on centre stage, rather than being sidelined or judged only by their age."

e-mail: jo.winrow@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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