Foreword
On behalf of the West Wales Regional Partnership Board, I am delighted to present our first Area Plan in which we set out how we will work as a partnership over the next five years to continue the transformation and integration of care and support in our region and address the issues identified in our recent Population Assessment.
We have intentionally structured our Plan around the principles of prevention and a single ‘care and support pathway’ which aims to help people of all ages stay independent within their communities and, if they need more formal care, to ensure that agencies work together to help those that can to return home with appropriate support as soon as possible. For people needing longer term care our focus will continue to be on helping people reach their full potential and live fulfilling lives. These are the aims and values that underpin the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act.
Our Plan sets clear strategic objectives to which the Board will hold partners accountable. More detailed action plans are in place or are being developed to ensure that practical steps are taken to deliver the change that is required on the ground. We have provided links to these wherever possible.
We all have a stake in delivering transformation. A fundamental principle of the partnership is that people needing care and support and their carers – as well as wider communities – have a meaningful voice in shaping services and we will be looking to ensure that people are properly engaged as action plans are developed and implemented.
Committed professionals across the statutory, third and independent sectors provide high quality care and support to thousands of people in West Wales every day. Properly valuing our current staff and supporting them to develop new skills, as well as attracting new people to join the sector, are priorities for the partnership and we will be working at a regional level and nationally with colleagues in Social Care Wales to achieve this.
The landscape in which we operate is constantly changing. We will need to ensure that the objectives within our Plan fit with the anticipated response from Welsh Government to the recent Parliamentary Review of Health and Social Care in Wales. Similarly, they will need to support the implementation of Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Transforming Clinical Services Programme. Therefore we aim to refresh the Plan on a regular basis. Updates will be available here on our Data Portal which also contains a vast range of information on our population and the care and support that is delivered across West Wales. This data will also be updated regularly to help us monitor the impact of this Plan and ensure that we remain on track.