Our ambitions - adults are supported to maximise wellbeing and independence

In the national audit social care survey: 

• 81.9% of Solihull people who use care services feel they have control over their daily lives, increasing 3% from the previous year.
• 91.8% of people who use care services report those services make them feel safe and secure. 

Adult Social Care support enables people with care and support needs to stay as independent and well as possible, for as long as possible. We work closely with partners including NHS organisations, care providers, voluntary organisations, community and local businesses to help deliver effective services. We recognise, value and support the important and vital contribution of unpaid carers in Solihull and want to ensure there are appropriate services and support in place for carers as shown in our Carers’ Strategy.

Solihull is facing demographic challenges and rising demands on Adult Social Care, which means we must respond as early as possible. For instance, the number of people aged 65 and over in the borough increased by 18% between 2011 and 2021, and this proportion is projected to continue to increase in the future. In addition, 14,500 Solihull residents aged 65 and over have a disability that limits their daily activity.

This also means that we need to continually improve the way we work, including using new and emerging technologies to better respond to increased demand and support people to live independently.

Recognising these challenges, our Adult Social Care 5 Year Plan was co-produced with people with care needs, unpaid carers, and partner Learning independent living skills with support from Adult Social Care organisations. The plan covers a period up to 2027 and sets out our vision, our approach, and our priorities. We have embedded our get involved approach to co-production and continue to encourage people with lived experience to play an active role in helping shape the future of Adult Social Care in Solihull.

The five-year All-Age Prevention Strategy, builds on our ambition to support people to remain well and independent for longer. This will help to reduce demand for more intensive services, ensuring that the right care continues to be available for everyone who needs additional care and support. 

Reflecting our Council-wide focus on being ambitious for our children, Adult Social Care and Children’s Services have worked together to improve the experience and support provided through transition. This is the period when a young person moves from being supported by Children’s Services, to being supported by Adult Social Care. This proactive joint work will continue. 

We are also preparing for an inspection of our adherence to Care Act duties and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Adult Social Care framework. Through our focus on continuous improvement we are building on what we are doing well and taking positive action to deliver on-going improvements to meet the needs of people with care and support needs and unpaid carers in Solihull.

Key activities 

• Further improve support for unpaid carers, by continuing to offer a range of support options including respite at home as well as in care settings, direct payment support, and improved access to information and advice. We will use feedback from carers to further develop our improvement plans.
• Fulfil our statutory safeguarding duties while continually improving practice and providing accessible support for people who need it.
• Work with the local care market to assure good quality care in Solihull through a range of care and support options, to ensure people’s needs are met in the way that is best for them, supporting their wellbeing and independence.
• Achieve positive outcomes in the CQC inspection, using the evidence of our performance to date, the experiences of people we support, and plans for further development.

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