Community Connections

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FUTURE OF SELF-DIRECTED SUPPORT

With Jo Cowan During July and August, organisations, service users, carers and interested members of the public are being encouraged to voice their views on the future of Self-Directed Support in Highland. NHS Highland and Highland Council have launched a Self-directed Support Consultation and are asking us to get involved and help shape the future of social care in Highland.

NHS Highland and the Highland Council are holding a consultation on Self-directed Support (SDS) to ensure our services meet the requirements of those who need them most. The consultation sets out a suggested new vision and approach to providing SDS. It started on July 5 and will run until the end of August this year.

SDS gives people choice and control over the social care and support that they need to ensure they are not only supported in ways that are right for them but that they are also involved in decisions about their support as much as possible. It is recognised across Scotland how important SDS is, but also that it can be challenging to deliver in a way that meets people’s needs.

With this in mind, NHS Highland and the Highland Council, supported by their partners, are keen to set out a new approach to providing SDS and want to hear from you as to whether you think the direction they suggest is the right one.

The vision is for services to be caring and enabling, promoting equality and person centred, meaning that people’s support is planned around their individual needs and what is important to them.

Ian Thomson, Head of Service: Quality Assurance, Adult Social Care, said: ‘We understand how important SDS is for many people and hope this consultation will give everyone who currently uses SDS or supports people who use SDS to have their say and tell us what is important to them about the services they receive.’

For those online visit NHS Highland website’s Self-Directed Support (SDS) page.

You can access information about the consultation and access the electronic consultation documents, including an ‘easy-read’. You can also give your views by completing the online survey on that page.

For those not online, if you would like more information, a paper copy or alternative format of the survey or would like to ask someone to call you back to discuss the consultation email karen.patience.@nhs.scot or leave a message on 01463 704715.