Market Position Statement 2025-2040 Introduction - Broader strategic context
Role of Adult Social Care in Society
Adult social care plays an important role in society, supporting adults of all ages, including young people moving into adulthood, those of working age, and older individuals. Adult social care supports people with a diverse range of needs such as autism, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health conditions (including dementia), substance misuse challenges and other long-term conditions.
People utilise adult care social care differently and at various stages of their lives; some require lifelong assistance while others may develop care needs suddenly or gradually. Some people may only need short-term social care to regain or maintain independence after hospital discharge, whereas others need longer-term support.
Whenever people need adult social care, the purpose of our intervention is to improve a person’s wellbeing by facilitating what is needed for them to achieve what matters most to them which they could not have done without our help.
Adult social care covers a wide range of activities to help people live independently and stay well and safe. It can include:
- Supporting people in their own homes (home care or ‘domiciliary care’)
- Supported accommodation such as Supported Living Schemes
- Support in day centres; as well as wider support to help people stay active and engaged in their communities
- Care provided in residential and nursing homes
- Services such as reablement that help people to retain or regain their skills and confidence so they can learn to manage again after a period of illness or stay in hospital
- Providing aids and adaptations for people’s homes
- Providing information and advice
- Providing support for unpaid carers
- Supporting people to engage in work, training, education or volunteering and to socialise with family and friends
- Providing preventative services that help people stay well for longer
- Providing safeguarding services for people with care and support needs who may be at risk of abuse or harm.
Walsall Council Adult Social Care offers support to the following groups of people who are aged over 18 including:
- People with physical disabilities
- People with sensory disabilities
- People with learning disabilities
- People with autistic spectrum conditions
- People experiencing mental ill health
- Older people
- Unpaid carers who support friends and family
- People receiving Children’s Services who are approaching 18 years old and who may require adult social care.
Strategic Context
This MPS works to key strategy documents driving change, such as Pursuing Excellence our Council Plan 2025-2029; “We are Walsall 2040” our Borough Plan and the “Walsall Together,” Plan: this is our place-based partnership encompassing health, social housing, voluntary and community sector organisations. It also sits within the context of the new Adult Social Care Strategy 2025-2030.
To successfully deliver our Market Position Statement priorities, there is a need to connect with other strategies and plans. These strategies may be in other Directorates of the Council or in other organisations. Some of the strategies listed below further develop theme
- Integrated Care Board – 5-year System Plan for Health Care 2023-2028
- Walsall’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2024-2029
- Walsall Multi-Agency Mental Wellbeing Place Based Strategy 2022-2032
- Housing Strategy 2020-2025
- Digital Strategy 2022-2025
- Customer Experience Strategy 2021-2026
Walsall 2040
Walsall 2040 sets out a longer-term vision of our Borough in 2040. We have an expectation that providers working in Walsall will support this vision and work with the Council, partners and commissioners to achieve it
By 2040, the aim is that citizens of Walsall are:
- Thriving and happy
- Healthy and well
- Prosperous and innovative
- Proud of their Borough
The link below is to the new We Are Walsall 2040 webpage.
The range of outcomes we want Walsall citizens to enjoy in their lives are also represented in the Walsall Wellbeing Outcomes Framework. We will commission care and support in line with this Framework and we want to ensure that providers deliver on these wellbeing outcomes in services provided.
From a health and social care integration point of view, Walsall Council is part of the Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS). As part of this ICS, we work with the NHS teams and 3 other local authorities in the Black Country to agree priorities, share learning and work to join together health and social care for individuals.
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The core purpose of our ICS is to:
- Improve outcomes in population health and healthcare
- Tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access
- Enhance productivity and value for money
- Help the NHS support broader social and economic development.
Our Integrated Care Strategy sets out how to meet the health and wellbeing needs of the population in the Black Country. The strategy builds on and compliments the work of the Health and Wellbeing Boards in each area but looks at the additionality that can be brought through system level working.
Council Plan 2025-2029 ‘Pursing Excellence’
Our Council Plan informs our overarching vision to be a continuously improving council, delivering excellence, reducing inequalities and improving life chances for all. Through engagement and consultation with our residents, four ambitions have been identified which are considered important for the future of the Borough. A set of cross cutting principles have also been developed to help achieve our overarching vision and ambitions.
The link below is to the new Walsall Council Plan in which there are statements and ambitions for health and social care.
Our Council Plan