Adult Social Care

One of the great accomplishments of the last twenty years is the steady increase in average life expectancy. However, long life often brings disability and loneliness to the elderly, and poverty and ill health to the family and friends caring for them. The present system is almost entirely focused on help for those with critical or substantial disabilities, with fewer and fewer people receiving any services. Policy in Health and Social Care is for shorter and fewer hospital stays and sharp reductions in residential care. There is strength in this because most people do prefer to remain in their own homes as long as possible. But if that home life is simply about keeping them alive but spending long days looking at four walls it will be not be a great boon.

The Green Party is convinced that decent and intelligent services from the County Council can help people lead healthier and more fulfilled lives. But they cannot be provided on the cheap.

Prevention and supportive communities

Like all of us older people want contact with other people and varied and interesting things to do. Such a life delays and prevents severe depression, which is the most common cause of disability in the elderly. It also makes life more enjoyable for people with other disabilities. We propose that every village and neighbourhood in the County be helped to provide activities for all people, of whatever age, in the way that they desire. This means full use of public buildings, including schools, and increased support for Village and Community Centres. It means the employment of Community Development Workers, whether directly by the County, or by voluntary sector organisations, whose role is to help local people create and maintain the activities they choose. This will also help to make it possible for people with terminal illnesses to die at home if they so desire.

Advice and Advocacy

There are tens of millions of pounds of disability and pension benefits which are not being claimed. Many people who are entitled to Health or Social Care services are not receiving them. We propose that every GP surgery in the County have at least one session a week providing first-class benefits and service advice. Many people are unable to make the complicated case needed to access the benefit or service. They need vigorous advocacy from these advisors.

Support for Carers

There has been a significant improvement in the awareness of the importance of carers in maintaining elderly and other people with disabilities. But the level of poverty and ill-health remains very high. We propose a substantial increase in short breaks for carers; a County-wide emergency service to provide immediate cover when a carer is unable to care and advance planning so carers know that those they care for will be adequately looked after if they become unable to care. This is especially important for elderly parents of learning disabled people.

Transport

If people are to have satisfying lives they must be able to get out to see and enjoy the world. This means transport for those who are unable to do so under their own steam. The Green Party proposes that more activities be located in every locality so the problems are reduced. We will also make possible a variety of affordable transport for other purposes. The Community Development service will support and increase volunteer driving schemes.

The County Council as Advocate

There are many services which are provided by other agencies, most importantly the Government. If we elect enough Green Councillors we can use the Council’s influence on behalf of the people of the County. We would rally the people of the County in opposition to Conservative and New Labour policy to fragment and privatise the NHS. Greens were able to pass a County Council motion criticizing the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust’s proposal to hand over their role as purchasers of health services to a private company. Under pressure they withdrew the proposal. We failed in an attempt to gain support to convince the PCT to reopen the Oxford Community Hospital, whose thirty beds and day care have been ‘replaced’ by ten beds in a private Nursing Home, with other Oxford residents being sent around the County.

By law, the NHS is required to provide fully paid care to people with a great need for services because of their ill-health, even when they do not need acute medical care. Oxfordshire PCT has been reluctant to accept their responsibility. This means that many people have to use means tested Social Services for Nursing Home and domiciliary care. Green Councillors passed a resolution calling on the County’s Social Care team to press the PCT for increased provision of free services. This has had some success and people have been able to get the care they are entitled to without having to live on reduced income or sell their homes. Much more needs to be done.