Adult Social Services

Statistics clearly demonstrate that people are living longer. Trafford, in recent years, has seen a phenomenal rise in demand for adult social care. During the period 2003 to 2007 we have seen a growth in demand of well over 30% in people with Learning Difficulties and a 28% growth in the provision of community based services for older people. This is not just a trend in Trafford, it is a national issue.

Government will continue to be lobbied by Trafford for a fairer settlement which recognises the increase in demand for adult social care. Despite a disappointing 2% increase in the Labour government grant to the Council for 2008/9 Trafford Conservatives have increased spending on Adult Social Care by 4.9% or £2.7 million.

We will commission services on behalf of Trafford residents in the most cost effective way while at the same time paying close attention to the quality provided.

Greater take up of Direct Payments will be encouraged and will increase. As Conservatives we believe that people benefit enormously when they take control of managing the money to pay for their own care. This corresponds with our philosophy on individual choice and freedom and with the policy of Putting People First.

We will explore the use of new technology to assist those where clearly there is a benefit and it is appropriate to do so, for example to assist those with low level social care needs.

We recognise that the average price for a home is particularly high and that getting on the housing ladder can prove difficult for first time buyers. We will therefore continue to work closely with our partners in order to maximise the opportunities that arise to increase the provision of affordable housing within the borough.

We will work with partners in Trafford to improve health outcomes in those areas where currently, on average, they are significantly lower than in other parts of the borough.

We are fortunate that we have in our borough a strong voluntary sector. We will work to support and enhance the role of the voluntary sector in Trafford. Given the increasing demand for social care in the future we will explore ways of encouraging greater community involvement in the care of our more vulnerable residents.