Somerset County Council and NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group have announced ambitious plans to invest in services and transform the care provided for more than 9,000 people living with dementia.

The two organisations will be working with community and charitable organisations to redesign nursing and residential homes and invest in new technologies and services which support people to live independently for longer.And care providers, people living with dementia, and their carers will play a key role in the redesign through extensive consultation over the next two years.

This will include open days where people with dementia can try out new technologies, interactive events to engage decision makers in the realities of living with dementia, and webinars with providers to find out what works well, and what needs to be improved.

Delivering outstanding care

Mel Lock, Somerset County Council’s director of adult social care, said: “We are absolutely committed to ensuring people with dementia have a say in designing the services which they will use going forward.

“It is important for people with dementia to have opportunities to participate in the activities that they enjoy and we are investing in services which will help them to enjoy interesting, varied lives where they can be as independent as possible.

“We’ll be working closely with our fantastic providers across Somerset to support them to deliver new and improved models of care which bring a range of excellent activities into care homes, as well as new technology which will equip the social care workforce with the digital tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to deliver outstanding care.”

It is important for people with dementia to have opportunities to participate in the activities that they enjoy and we are investing in services which will help them to enjoy interesting, varied lives where they can be as independent as possible

A spokesperson from NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, added: “It is exciting to be working together with our partners across health, social care, and the voluntary sector to design the new Somerset Dementia Wellbeing model for the people of Somerset.

“We are using the model to seek funding for investment in community dementia services and we will be working closely with providers, people who live with dementia, and their families to make sure that these services are fit for the future.”

Embracing technology

The investment follows the Government White Paper, People at The Heart of Care, which aims to boost investment in housing and new technologies and improve the delivery of care and support services by increasing funding for local authorities and investing in local initiatives which enable innovation in the way care is delivered.  

Being able to access, understand, and use technology can help people find information and access the services they need.

However, recent research by Age UK highlighted that more than 40% of people aged 75 and over do not use the internet.

And Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that 14.9% people with a disability have never used the internet, compared to 6.3% of the general UK population.

Recent research also showed that 23% of care home staff cannot access the internet consistently at work, with 45% of providers expressing concern that care staff lacked digital skills.

As part of its plans to invest further in dementia, Somerset County Council will invest in new technology, equipping the social care workforce with the digital tools, knowledge, and confidence needed.

And all specialist residential care homes and older persons’ mental health services will be able to access a range of new technology and training.