Have Your Say on Adult Wellbeing in Reading #rdg #rdguk

I'm looking forward to discussing the council's approach to wellbeing at a committee meeting on Wednesday, it's core to all that local government should be about – helping people live fulfilled lives and so many council services and activities support this.

Council Encourages Residents to Have Their Say on Adult Wellbeing in Reading

29/01/2016
Reading Borough Council Press Release

Reading residents are being encouraged to have their say on the council’s approach to promoting physical, mental and social wellbeing for adults with care needs.

This week sees the launch of an eight week public consultation on Reading’s draft Wellbeing Position Statement, which runs until 18th March 2016.

The position statement outlines how the council is responding to its 2014 Care Act duties and working to narrow the wellbeing gaps in the borough.

The statement offers a framework on how the council will prevent poor health, reduce deterioration of existing conditions and delay the need for intensive support for as long is safe and appropriate. The aim is to embed this wellbeing principle throughout council services.

The results of the consultation will be used to ensure services that help people to lead healthy and long lives are working as effectively as possible and to shape work with other health partners.

Have your say

The Wellbeing Position Statement and an online consultation form are available at:

• www.reading.gov.uk/adultwellbeing

For any queries on the draft position statement, contact transformation@reading.gov.uk
or call 0118 937 2383.

Cllr Rachel Eden, Lead Member for Adult Social Care, said:

“I encourage residents to tell us what they think about our vision. Care provision is something that affects us all at some point in our lives. By helping make sure we get the statement right, we can ensure that residents with care and support needs can access early help and enjoy healthy and fulfilling lives.”

Cllr Graeme Hoskin, Lead Member for Health, said:

“A great deal of council services already help to promote adult wellbeing – from the home safety checks we carry out, through to the healthy walks programmes we offer, to winter fuel assistance and our efforts to reduce isolation and loneliness. This good work is something we want to build on.

“We are committed to working closely with our residents to achieve these goals. It is important for the council to know people's views on health and wellbeing and to incorporate this into our vision.”
 

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

The draft Wellbeing Position Statement builds on and complements several existing strategies, particularly:

• Reading Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2013-16
• Reading Borough Council Plan for Adult Social Care 2014
• Reading Borough Council Corporate Plan 2015-18

The Wellbeing Position Statement does not set out to replace these. Rather, it is intended to promote a more cohesive approach to wellbeing across the local authority by bringing existing strands of activity together and identifying priorities to ensure the council is as effective as it can be.

The Position Statement will be accompanied by an implementation plan for 2016-17, which will be refreshed in subsequent years and incorporated into a broader Health and Wellbeing Action Plan.
The Care Act requires councils to have a well-being strategy. The ‘position statement’ that the council has prepared is intended to cover this responsibility whilst an updated version of the health and well-being strategy for 2016-2019 which will be based on the revised JSNA (due to presented to the Health & Well-being Board in March) is prepared. The council’s Care Act ‘well-being principle’ responsibilities will be incorporated in this new health and well-being strategy. The revised JSNA will emphasise the importance of prevention, that is, reducing the risk of avoidable disease and disability, and thus will provide a good basis for a comprehensive, Care Act-compliant, health and well-being strategy.
 

Media Contact: Victoria Buckett
Tel: 0118 937 3957