Department of Health - Developing a Preventative Adult Social Care and Support Framework in Northern Ireland

The demand for adult social care services continues to grow at pace and supply outstrips

demand, resulting in unmet need and pressures in the wider system including delayed

hospital discharges. In keeping with commitments in the 10-year Strategic Plan for the

Reform of Adult Social Care, work is underway to develop a comprehensive sustainable

preventative adult care and support framework designed to help people remain safe,

healthy, well, independent and with in “the place they call home”. This framework is

intended to provide structure to an early help offer as an alternative to current crisis driven

or reactive interventions.

It is necessary to engage experts who have skills and the capacity to progress this work at

pace in order to deliver the timely output required. So there is a need to engage experts

who can deliver at pace, who have the necessary skill set, who understand the objectives

and who have the experiences and evidence to draw upon – these prerequisites will

inspire system confidence and drive the shift required. Consistent measurement and

assessment is required across the region therefore it would be inappropriate to ask Trusts

to engage external experts individually.