Issue - meetings

(a)       That the North Wales Population Needs Assessment be supported; and

(b)       That the process for the approval of the Regional Market Stability Report, as outlined in the report, be approved.

The Chief Officer (Social Services) introduced the report to provide an overview of the North Wales Population Needs Assessment 2022 which had been produced as a requirement of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. 

The North Wales Population Needs Assessment was a statutory requirement and was an assessment of the care and support needs of the population and the support needs of carers throughout North Wales. The reports development was led by the North Wales Social Care and Well-being services improvement collaborative with information from the six North Wales Councils and the Health Board.  The report must be approved by all partners prior to being published on 1 April 2022.

The Regional Market Stability report which followed on from the Population Needs Assessment and provided an assessment of the sufficiency of care and support in meeting the needs and demand for social care must also be published in June 2022.  Together, both documents should help to provide those commissioning care and support with a comprehensive understanding of the current and projected demand and supply.  The next phase of the project would involve using the Population needs assessment to develop an area plan for the region which was to be developed and published in 2023.

In moving and seconding the recommendations, both Councillor Christine Jones and Councillor Hilary McGuill spoke in support of the comprehensive report and thanked both Emma Murphy and Katrina Shankar for their work in collating the information.

Councillor Chris Bithell paid tribute to the officers who had contributed to the report and commented on the number of responses received from Flintshire residents, staff and partner organisations which was welcoming.  He also commented on the future population trajectories which he felt would be challenging and the implications for future funding to provide social care services for an ageing population. 

The Chief Officer (Social Services) thanked Members for the comments and said that he would pass on the thanks of Members to the officers.  He agreed with the concerns from Councillor Bithell around an ageing population and explained that documents like the one presented allows for the Council to prepare for the development of extra care housing and in-house care provision for older people.       

Having been moved and seconded, the recommendations were put to the vote and carried.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the North Wales Population Needs Assessment be supported; and

(b)       That the process for the approval of the Regional Market Stability Report, as outlined in the report, be approved.