Consultation

The Adult Services best value review is part of the authority's Performance Plan for this year. For more information on the     
  Performance Plan

For a copy of the final   Best Value Report

Service users, carers and front line staff are being consulted as part of the largest review ever undertaken within the council's Adult Services.

The massive cross-cutting Best Value Review of community based services will take nine months starting 1st September, 2004 to 31st May, 2005 complete and seeks to set the agenda to modernise a wide range of services which aim to rehabilitate and maintain people in their own homes.

Widespread consultation is taking place with services users and carers to identify areas of the service that are working well and those which need to change. And, front line workers in the Adult Services and in agencies that have been commissioned to provide services on behalf of the department will also be asked to complete questionnaires.

The department will also consult with a sample of people who have used community based services in the past year, while staff from the Best Value Review team will attend a number of public events to consult with formal groups that represent the interests of older persons, and those with physical or sensory impairments.

The range of services under review includes social work provision, day care services, home care, laundry services, intermediate care, meals on wheels and luncheon clubs.

"In the past, service users and front line staff were not always asked their views, but this has changed," said Councilor Maurice Kirk, the Cabinet Member for Adult Services.

"The views of those who use services, their carers, and those who directly provide them do count and need to be heard and acted on if services are to meet needs and operate smoothly.

"The research we are conducting seeks to test whether existing services meet the needs of the most vulnerable adults in Rotherham, and to discover what services we will need in the future to help people keep their independence and remain in their own homes wherever possible," Councillor Kirk added.

Other aspects of the review will involve comparing the services on offer in Rotherham with those in other parts of the country, and it is planned to hold a public meeting early next summer to discuss the findings of the research and the recommendations. The final report will then contain recommendations for changes and for modernising community based services to make them fit for the future.