Failures see Calderdale's vulnerable adults falling through gaps in care services

Health chiefs have been tasked with improving support services to vulnerable adults who are falling through the cracks of existing provision.
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These include people with conditions such as autism, victims of childhood sexual exploitation and people suffering substance abuse, and a number of case studies were presented to Calderdale Health and Wellbeing Board when they considered the problem.

Board members heard Calderdale Council does not have specific pathways or support services for vulnerable adults who did not fit the criteria of current social care tams and services.

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In particular this applied to around a third of vulnerable adults on the adults division of the All Age Disability Team (AAD) waiting list, they were told.

The team has previously picked up cases where there is no learning or disability criteria but the people concerned have a level of vulnerability which means they are likely to meet the criteria for support under the Care Act.

Vulnerable adults who did not meet the Care Act criteria were unlikely to receive support and it was possible that due to unco-ordinated approaches the council was duplicating support available from other healthcare partners.

Members discussed the increase in demand for these services and how the service could be better shaped to meet this, although no additional funding was available.

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At the moment, the service defined people by its constraints rather than the needs of the service user but this was an opportunity for agencies to work together, removing duplication of effort and maximising use of the finite resources available.

This can be done by a group consisting of representatives from key agencies involved who have been asked to identify a way forward and report progress back to the board at a future meeting, members heard.