HEALTH and social care organisations in Somerset have unveiled plans to invest in services and transform care for the county’s 9,400 people living with dementia.

Somerset County Council is working with the NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group and community and charitable sectors to redesign nursing and residential homes, and invest in new technologies and services which help people remain living independently in their own homes.

Mel Lock, Somerset County Council’s director of adult social care said: “We have over 9,400 people in Somerset who live with dementia, and we are absolutely committed to ensuring they have a say in designing the services which they will use going forward.

"It is important for people with dementia to have opportunities to participate in the activities that they enjoy, and we are investing in services which will help them to enjoy interesting, varied lives where they can be as independent as possible.

“We’ll be working closely with our fantastic providers across Somerset to support them to deliver new and improved models of care and support which bring a range of excellent activities into care homes, as well as new technology which will equip the social care workforce with the digital tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to deliver outstanding quality care.”

Over the next two years there will be a number of open days where people with dementia can try out new technologies, and webinars with providers to find out what works well, and what needs to be improved.

A spokesperson from NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group said: “It’s exciting to be working together with our partners across health, social care, and the voluntary sector to design the new Somerset Dementia Wellbeing model for the people of Somerset.

"We are using the model to seek funding for investment in community dementia services to improve the quality of life for the 9,400 people in Somerset who live with dementia.

"It’s also really important to support carers, so a lot of the work we’re doing involves talking to people to find the best ways to do that."

The investment follows a Government White Paper - ‘People at the Heart of Care’ – which aims to boost investment into housing, invest in new technologies, and improve the delivery of care and support services by increasing funding for local authorities and investing in local initiatives which enable innovation in the way care is delivered.

The public can have their say on dementia services and how they can be improved by emailing commissioningTeamMailbox@somerset.gov.uk