4:00pm Thursday 22nd November 2007
By Timothy John
COUNTY Hall care chiefs are calling in experts from other councils in a bid to improve the authority's services for vulnerable adults.
The "peer review" of adult social care services could deliver an improvement plan by next spring as Dorset council struggles with the nation's lowest level of government funding.
Chief executive David Jenkins is hoping outside experts will identify strengths and weaknesses in Dorset's care provision.
The focus on adult care has won cross-party support.
The Liberal Democrat chairman of the audit and scrutiny committee, Cllr Trevor Jones, welcomed the spotlight on care for the county's elderly and disabled residents.
"It needs and deserves this attention," said Cllr Jones.
"By conducting a review, we can use advice from our peers to draw up an action plan with the aim to see some improvements within the next year," he added.
The leader of the Conservative-controlled authority, Cllr Angus Campbell, said the council's Fit for the Future programme would also help.
Cllr Campbell described the programme as the "backbone" of efforts to free resources for cash-strapped services.
"Clearly we need to streamline our systems so that those who are the front face of the service can optimise their efforts working with service users and not spend anymore time than is absolutely necessary on back office tasks," said Cllr Campbell.
Assessment waiting times, delivery of equipment and home adaptations were some of the areas examined by the audit and scrutiny committee.
The authority spends on average £23 million less on its most vulnerable residents than other local authorities.
It raised its eligibility threshold for adult care services last year from "moderate" to "substantial" in a bid to prioritise limited resources.
The council's senior officer for adult social care said Dorset faced "significant challenges".
"These are likely to increase over time as the proportion of older people grows and the gap between need and resources widens," said Steve Pitt, the director of adult and community services.
And Mr Pitt added that a "significant increase" of investigations into vulnerable adults was diverting care managers' time from new cases.
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