The social care standards inspectorate in Wales published its annual report for 2008-09. It welcomed improvements to services, but called on local authority social services and providers to both increase the pace of change and improve the quality and consistency of services.
Source: Annual Report 2008-2009, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales
Links: Report | CSSIW press release | WLGA press release | UKHCA press release | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2009-Dec
The Welsh Assembly Government began consultation on three main options for the future funding of social care for older people: a partnership between the state and individuals needing care, with the less well-off having more of their care costs paid for them; an insurance system, involving a state-backed or private scheme; and a compulsory system, where everyone over retirement age was required to pay into a state insurance scheme.
Source: Paying for Care in Wales: Creating a fair and sustainable system, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Consultation document | NHS Wales press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Nov
The children's rights watchdog in Wales expressed 'frustration' at the lack of consistent implementation of Welsh Assembly Government policies, and the failings of local authorities to put the best interests of children at the heart of decisions.
Source: Annual Review 08-09, Children's Commissioner for Wales (01792 765600)
Links: Report | CCW press release | WLGA press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Nov
The Welsh Assembly Government published a five-year action plan to reduce suicide and self-harm. The plan was designed to raise awareness of suicide and self-harm, and to remove the stigma that was associated with emotional and mental health problems.
Source: Talk to Me: The national action plan to reduce suicide and self harm in Wales 2009-2014, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Plan | NHS Wales press release
Date: 2009-Nov
A joint inspectorate report said that mental health services in Wales were still failing many children and young people, despite 'some improvement' in recent years.
Source: Services for Children and Young People with Emotional and Mental Health Needs, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (01443 848450), Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Wales Audit Office, and Estyn
Links: Report | NHS Wales press release | WAO press release | WalesOnline report | BBC report | Nursing Times report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2009-Nov
The social care standards inspectorate and the healthcare inspectorate in Wales both published reports on arrangements to help safeguard and protect children. In relation to local authority social services, much attention had been given to strengthening the response to initial concerns about child harm and abuse since the first national review in 2004: but there were variations and inconsistencies in practice, and an imbalance in how organizations and professionals discharged their responsibilities. There had been some improvement in relation to child protection/safeguarding arrangements across healthcare organizations since the previous full review in 2007: but some staff working in adult services still appeared not to accept that they also had a role in child protection.
Source: Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Wales: The Review of Local Authority Social Services and Local Safeguarding Children Boards, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (01443 848450) | Improving Practice to Protect Children in Wales: An Examination of the Role of Serious Case Reviews, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales | Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Wales: A Review of the Arrangements in Place Across the Welsh National Health Service, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (029 2092 8850)
Links: CSSIW Report (1) | CSSIW Report (2) | CSSIW press release | HIW Report | NHS Wales press release | WLGA press release | WalesOnline report
Date: 2009-Oct
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that although there had been some improvements in recent years in mental health services in Wales, there was some way to go before services achieved consistently acceptable standards throughout the country.
Source: Inquiry into Community Mental Health Services, Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee/National Assembly for Wales (029 2089 8618)
Links: Report | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Sep
The social care standards inspectorate in Wales published its annual monitoring report on the performance of local authorities in relation to adult protection. The report identified a continuing increase in the number of adult protection referrals, and highlighted the variation in activity across Wales. It was likely that the increase in referrals reflected in part the greater awareness of adult protection issues by service users, their families, staff working with vulnerable adults, and the wider community.
Source: Protection of Vulnerable Adults Monitoring Report 2007-2008, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (01443 848450)
Links: Report | CSSIW press release
Date: 2009-Jun
A joint inspectorate report said that social care leadership in Wales had strengthened over the previous 10 years, leading to a wider range of services and better-trained staff: but the gap between the best and the worst councils remained too big.
Source: Reviewing Social Services in Wales 1998-2008: Learning from the journey, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (01443 848450) and Wales Audit Office
Links: Report | CSSIW press release | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Jun
The Children's Commissioner for Wales published the findings of research into young carers. Key findings included: 37 per cent of young carers felt that their opinions were not respected by others; 52 per cent had felt they could not cope during the previous week; and 73 per cent of those who administered medication had never received any training.
Source: Full of Care: Young carers in Wales 2009, Children's Commissioner for Wales (01792 765600)
Links: Report | CCW press release
Date: 2009-Jun
The Welsh Assembly Government introduced a measure designed to place a £50 per week cap on charges for non-residential social care services.
Source: Proposed Social Care Charges (Wales) Measure, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Measure | Explanatory notes | WAG press release | WalesOnline report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Jun
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on cross-border health services for Wales. It said that the border between England and Wales should not represent a barrier to the provision of healthcare. Some divergence in health policy between England and Wales was an 'inevitable and healthy consequence' of devolution.
Source: The Government's Response to the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee Report: The Provision of Cross-border Health Services for Wales, Cm 7647, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report | Hansard
Date: 2009-Jun
An audit report said that fewer people in Wales were suffering delayed transfers of care between hospitals and social services because of a more co-ordinated approach from senior management to tackling the problem.
Source: Delayed Transfers of Care Follow-through, Wales Audit Office (029 2026 0260)
Links: Report | WAO press release
Date: 2009-May
A report examined the impact of alcohol on health in Wales. 1,000 people died each year from causes attributed to alcohol, with alcohol being a factor in more than 4 per cent of male deaths.
Source: Andrea Gartner with Hugo Cosh, Rhys Gibbon and Nathan Lester, A Profile of Alcohol and Health in Wales, Wales Centre for Health (029 2022 7744)
Links: Report | Alcohol Policy UK press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Apr
The social care standards inspectorate in Wales published its annual monitoring report on the performance of Welsh local authorities in relation to adult protection. The report identified a continuing increase in the number of adult protection referrals, and highlighted the variation in activity across Wales.
Source: Protection of Vulnerable Adults Monitoring Report 2007-2008, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (01443 848450)
Links: Report | CSSIW press release | WAG press release
Date: 2009-Mar
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that services were not configured or co-ordinated effectively to meet the needs of patients with chronic conditions. There was a continued over-reliance on the acute hospital sector.
Source: The Management of Chronic Conditions by NHS Wales, Audit Committee/National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | NAW press release
Date: 2009-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs said that the lack of a permanent protocol for cross-border health services between Wales and England left clinicians and administrators in a 'strained position', and risked adversely affecting patients, as a result of commissioning and funding problems.
Source: The Provision of Cross-border Health Services for Wales, Fifth Report (Session 2008-09), HC 56, House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Mar
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that although the financial position of the National Health Service in Wales had improved over the previous year, the forthcoming reorganization of the services represented a 'great opportunity' to further improve financial management.
Source: Are the Devolved Financial Management Arrangements in NHS Wales Effective?, Audit Committee/National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | NAW press release
Date: 2009-Feb
The Chief Inspectorate of Care and Social Services in Wales published its annual report for 2007-08. It highlighted an increase in more personalized services, quicker setting up and reviewing of plans to meet people's needs, and improvements in services to carers: but there was also too much variability in the quality and performance of services.
Source: Annual Report 2007-2008, Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (01443 848450)
Links: Report | CSSIW press release | WalesOnline report
Date: 2009-Jan
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on cross-border health services for Wales. It said that it agreed with the committee that the border between England and Wales should not represent a barrier to the provision of healthcare.
Source: The Government Response to the Welsh Affairs Committee Interim Report on the Provision of Cross-border Health Services for Wales, Cm 7531, Department of Health, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report | Hansard
Date: 2009-Jan
The Welsh Assembly Government began consultation on proposals for a unified public health system comprising a new National Health Service Trust, designated the Public Health Wales National Health Service Trust.
Source: Unification of Public Health Services in Wales, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Consultation document | Consultation document (Welsh)
Date: 2009-Jan
