On Thursday 1 October, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet agreed Better Care, Better Lives as the strategic model for adult social care in the county.

The report sits in the portfolio of Burnley’s own Cllr Tom Pickup, county councillor for Padiham and Burnley West and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care.

What was agreed

The cabinet resolved two things: that Lancashire’s Model of Care “be agreed as the strategic model for Adult Social Care”, and that “detailed design and implementation planning be progressed through co-production with residents, carers, communities, providers, and partners.”

In plain terms, the model aims to:

  • help people earlier, before things reach crisis point
  • make local help easier to find, with joined-up conversations so people do not have to repeat their story
  • give more choice to people who need formal care, from support at home to specialist housing and 24-hour care
  • keep specialist services, including dementia care and help to regain independence after a hospital stay, as close to home as possible

It was shaped by people who use care and support, carers, families, staff, providers and community groups.

What it does not do

There has been worry about closures, so it is worth being exact. The council’s own release says the report to cabinet “does not propose or seek approval for the closure of any existing services or buildings”, and that any future proposals would need separate business cases, assessments, consultation and decisions.

Cllr Pickup put it this way: “Nothing in this report closes any service or building. The people who shaped this model will keep shaping it, alongside the staff and partners whose care people already value.”

In his words

“Good care is about much more than services. It is about helping people hold on to their independence, relationships, routines and sense of belonging,” Cllr Pickup said.

“Nobody should have to tell their story over and over again to get help. This model is built around what they told us.”

The detailed design work starts now. If you, or someone you care for, uses adult social care in Burnley or Padiham and want your experience heard, get in touch with your Reform councillors.