Purpose of the Commissioning Strategy

The Commissioning Strategy is a plan that tells people with learning difficulties, their families and carers and local partner agencies how the identified needs of people with learning difficulties and their carers could be met within available resources.

The purpose of this strategy is to:

• Focus on the needs of people with learning difficulties and their carers.
• Assist with planning the best way to use available resources, and to think about the way that we want to change and improve services.
• Help providers of services to be clear about what the types of services that we want to purchase to meet the needs of people with learning difficulties

The strategy provides an overview of:

• The prevalence of learning difficulties within Bath and North East Somerset
• The needs of adults with a learning difficulty and their families/carers
• The National context as outlined within Valuing People – A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century, and the Government White Paper – Our Health, Our Care, Our Say
• The finances and resources available
• The range of services currently provided
• Proposals for developing future services in priority areas
• An Implementation Plan

We wish to commission services that:

• Are person centred
• Promote increased choice and control for people
• Encourage greater involvement and participation in peoples own communities
• Maximise a persons independence
• Offer the greatest opportunity for social inclusion
• Achieve best value and the best outcomes for people with learning difficulties

DEFINING LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Learning Difficulties - Definition

The Learning Difficulties Taskforce, established following the publication of Valuing People, defines Learning Difficulties as including the presence of:

• A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with:
• A reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning or adaptive behaviour);
• hich are present from childhood with a lasting effect on development.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

Valuing People – A New Strategy for Learning Disability

“Valuing People – A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century” was published in March 2001, and was the first White Paper on Learning Difficulties for 30 years. 

PREVALENCE OF LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Population Increases

There are approximately 170,000 people living in Bath & North East Somerset.  (Office of National Statistics – census 2001)

Research suggests that approximately 2% of the population may have learning difficulties – in B&NES this equates to 3,392 people.

As the population of Bath and North East Somerset increases, so will the number of people who have learning difficulties.

 FINANCE AND RESOURCES

In 2006 the combined budgets of Bath and North East Somerset Health and Social Services for learning difficulties services amounted to £17,219,000.

WAY FORWARD FOR FUTURE SERVICES

The aim of this strategy is to promote social inclusion for people with learning difficulties. Service development will be focussed on increasing a person’s independence.