A new report has found urgent challenges face health and social care across Essex.
The independent Essex Caring Communities Commission spent months hearing from people with experience. This includes doctors, nurses, carers, social workers, charities, hospices and service users.
The 11 commissioners heard about the challenges faced and opportunities for improvement. The commissioners include leaders from the NHS, Salvation Army, universities, think tanks and different political groups.
Now, the commissioners have set out 23 actions for radical change. These cover the creation of many services, task forces and boards.
All actions give more power to local communities, where most of the heavy lifting is done. They also aim to prevent health and care cases in the first place, rather than just reacting to them.
Some of the 23 actions include the creation of:
- Essex Retirement Service - helping our ageing population stay active and socially connected
- Library of Things - making more public sector assets available for local communities
- Multi-Agency Triaging Hubs - enabling staff from different organisations to work together
- School Ready Task Forces - increasing the number children ready for secondary school by 50% in priority areas
- Housing Board - significantly increasing retirement and specialist housing
- Volunteering Olympics - doubling the number of volunteering opportunities across Essex
- Apprenticeship Programme - opportunities every year for care leavers and people with disabilities
- 50+ Task Force - doubling over 50s participation in the local labour market
Commissioners will use the opportunity of devolution in Greater Essex to strengthen its actions. This includes new mayoral powers from a proposed Mayoral Combined County Authority.
Read the report in full as the commission begins implementing the change across Essex:
Councillor Beverley Egan, Commission Chair, said: “We must be honest and recognise the current way of doing things is not sustainable. Reacting to cases, rather than preventing them in the first place, has become the norm. That is not to say doctors, nurses, carers, social workers and practitioners do not go above and beyond – there is simply not enough joined up support for them to carry on delivering quality yet affordable care.
“As a society, we must ensure the care and support we will all need at some point in our lives is available to everyone. I encourage all Essex residents to view our full report and stay up to date on this exciting work over the coming months.”
Councillor Kevin Bentley, Leader of Essex County Council, said: “This is one of the proudest days of my political career and one of the most important pieces of work I’ve been involved with. I welcome this report and thank the commissioners, as well as all those who have engaged with them, for producing it.
“I’m very keen as leader that we look to the future of how we care for people, not just now but in the decades to come. How we care for the most vulnerable in society is one of the most important things any society can do.
“This report makes clear that things cannot simply continue as they are. The Essex Caring Communities Commission is prepared to radically transform outcomes for residents while addressing the demand on public services. It’s one of the only reports of its kind in the UK.
“The opportunity of devolution in Greater Essex will enable much change by bringing more power to local people, including the proposed creation of a Mayoral Combined County Authority.”