A Caring Gwynedd

We will modernise our care homes, update our community resources and expand the accommodation options available to Gwynedd residents. Amongst our plans are:

• Extra Care Housing - Development of over 100 new units in Penyberth, Frondeg (Caernarfon), Canolfan Lleu (Penygroes) and Dolgellau.
• Residential Homes:
  • Redevelopment of Plas Gwilym, Penygroes.
  • Upgrading Hafod Mawddach and Cefn Rodyn.
  • Opening a Dementia Unit at Bryn Blodau and Plas Hedd Homes.
  • Planning dementia developments at Plas Pengwaith
  • Opening of new nursing and dementia home at Penyberth with 50+ beds
• Supported Housing in the Community – a minimum of 6 houses located throughout the county to offer suitable and safe care homes.
• Commissioning work jointly with the Housing Department to understand the need for suitable care accommodation for the future.

We will enable the people of Gwynedd to live a good life as long as possible within their local communities. To achieve this, they need to have the required information to take advantage of community opportunities that would promote their well-being, as well as flexible methods of organising the support they need. Amongst our plans are:

• Adopting and promoting a community information system, Dewis
• Integrating a virtual occupational therapy system, AskSarah, into our website
• Developing our use of Technology Enabled Care (TEC)
• Promoting use of the Telecare service
• Making use of robotics to enable independent living
• Developing our Direct Payments system using a virtual wallet.

To ensure that we fully promote the well-being of individuals, it is vital that we are able to change our culture and ensure that we work effectively with the Health Board to deliver comprehensive care and health services into the future.

Amongst our plans are:

• Co-locating adults teams with community nurses and health therapists
• Developing collaboration systems as one team around the individual through a Community Resource Team system
• Working together to align the Community Resource Teams with the Primary Health Clusters
• Developing new collaboration arrangements for the community mental health teams.

We will promote training and work opportunities for individuals who need support. Amongst other schemes, we will improve provision at our Learning Disabilities Day Centres at Dolfeurig in Dolgellau and Frondeg, Caernarfon.

We will prepare an analysis of the demographics of Gwynedd; the demand for service; and adult social services best practices to understand and highlight the demand for service and associated resources that will be needed for the next twenty years.

We wish to improve the experiences of children with profound and complex needs in the Council's care, who currently have to leave the county or Wales in order to get suitable provision. We will develop registered residential homes for small groups of up to two children, which will allow them to receive care in Gwynedd, attend local schools, and fully participate in the lives of their communities.

To ensure that people can live their best lives, we must make prompt and easily accessible support available for individuals and their families. We will implement plans to:

• ensure we acknowledge the value of family and unpaid carers by making sure that we can easily identify them and offer them full support with caring
• reduce our waiting lists for new home care packages, ensuring no one in Gwynedd waits longer than 28 days following a care assessment.

Some residents find it difficult to cope with life's challenges and the situation of a number of residents has been exacerbated as a result of the cost of living crisis. These residents need support to cope, to thrive, to be safe and to keep healthy.

We have a broad network throughout our communities which helps and supports residents to cope and to respond to their various needs. This network needs support to sustain that voluntary effort, and we will work to strengthen this essential task over the coming years.

Children, young people and adults with autism find it difficult to obtain the specialist support required. Therefore, we will improve our provision and make it easier for individuals and their families to transfer between different services.