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The Community & Adult Services Scrutiny Committee looked at three items: progress on the Age Friendly Action Plan, the refresh of the Ageing Well Strategy, and the draft Disability Friendly Strategy. Scrutiny means councillors question the Cabinet and officers and make recommendations. They do not take the final decision. On each item the Committee agreed that the Chairperson will write to the Cabinet Member with its observations.
Apologies were received from Grace Lee (Youth Council).
The following declarations of interest were received: Councillor Item Type of interest Reason Peter Littlechild 5 Personal Outreach worker for Albany Road Baptist Church, run groups for older people. Sue Lent 6 Personal Son is a service user. Bablin Molik 6 Personal Work with Sight Cymru.
The minutes of the 20th April meeting were approved and signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were provided with background information and context to aid their scrutiny of the progress of the Age Friendly Action Plan. For this item, the Chair welcomed: Cllr Leonora Thomson Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Jane Thomas Director of Adults, Housing & Communities Louise Bassett Assistant Director, Adult Services Nicola Pitman OM Health & Wellbeing and Library Strategy Sam Young Policy & Campaigns Manager, Age Cymru The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, explaining that the report summarised the progress of work towards delivering a more inclusive and sustainable city for older people, with a further report to come later in the year, and highlighted the importance of partnership working. Sam Young made a statement on behalf of Age Cymru, noting that it was the largest organisation in Wales supporting older people to shape their own futures. Over the next few years, the network’s key commitments focused on independent living and access to services. Age friendly events involving their advocacy team had been particularly useful, and the physical activities team had worked closely with wellbeing support services. He outlined the key priorities going forward, which included aspects of the built environment such as public toilets, paved spaces and segregated pedestrian routes. He highlighted the impact of climate change on healthy ageing, with a need to heatproof the city with shaded spots and access to water. Access to information was another key topic, with the Age Cymru annual survey indicating that many older people didn’t feel they had enough, particularly around information for unpaid carers. Printed resources in multiple languages were valuable, and Hub provision had been well received on this front. The survey had also highlighted the importance of easy access to public transport and the need for budget decisions not to have a disproportionate impact on older people, who were the majority users of council services. Officers gave a presentation providing further detail, noting that the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 had been followed by the Welsh government’s ‘Age Friendly Wales: our strategy for an ageing society’ document. Cardiff’s first Age Friendly Action Plan had been published in 2021, followed by the Ageing Well Strategy in 2022. The Local Wellbeing Plan 2023-28 was the next step, before the second Age Friendly Cardiff Plan in 2024. Social media channels had been launched and the quarterly newsletter was available digitally and in print. The quarterly Age Friendly Forum had been set up to bring together older people’s groups, and they were involved with research projects with higher education institutions and a member of the WHO Global Network. Officers cited the healthy relationships campaign supporting sexual health as a particular achievement, with 8,000 packs distributed to Hubs, libraries, GP surgeries, sexual health clinics and Fast Track in both Cardiff and the Vale. They had also launched blood pressure monitor loan scheme which had been used more than 1500 times, and developed a GP referral process. Sight Life had supported more than 2000 residents with sight loss, and they had launched community language versions of dementia handbook. The number of unpaid carers awaiting a carer’s assessment had fallen from 330 to 52, though there was still work to do. The Wellbeing Support Service had seem 18,000 attendees across 63 groups, thanks in part to more than 30 volunteers aged over 50. The Independent Living Service had launched a new prevention toolkit, while the health board had brought out a free six week Live Well Age Well course in June. Museums Inspiring Memories training had been launched to support people with dementia, and a targeted campaign had been launched to address health inequalities focusing on gelatine-free vaccinations. Officers also highlighted Llandaff 50+ at the Pound and Age Without Limits creative writing workshops, and the completion of the Leckwith Road community scheme. The Community Resource Team had achieved a reablement success rate of 69%, with 97% positive feedback, and 49 unpaid carers were being supported by the Caring Friends befriending project. Officers noted that key challenges included loneliness and isolation, as well as ensuring safe lives and homes through fire safety and tackling scamming. Community transport remained a big issue, with bus routes key, and the increased state pension age had an impact on benefits. Messaging such as around dementia prevention needed to be spread wider, with not only digital information channels and services, and it was an ongoing challenge to identify unpaid carers. The new directorate delivery plan sought to work towards the commitments of the Age Friendly Cardiff Action Plan 2024-28, with a further review to be undertaken in October. The Caring Through Change handbook and updated toilet map were coming out, and as the citywide partnership grew they would ensure that older people had their say. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below. Members discussed toilet provision, noting that reference had been made at a previous meeting to possible use of the visitor levy and incentives for businesses. Officers confirmed that they had been lobbying in that area, with public toilets having been a recurring theme within the visitor levy consultation, and would continue to press the topic. Members explored the translation of documents into different languages, and heard that officers were engaging with different communities to find out how they preferred information to be presented, and generally groups with older populations found translated documents more helpful than those in English. Members noted that Cardiff’s communities were constantly changing, and highlighted deprivation and limited access to technology as key barriers. Members noted the importance of transport access to independence in later life and asked whether service provision was optimised as effectively as possible across the city. Officers agreed that transport was a key factor raised by older people in their surveys, with concerns about bus routes not quite aligning with services, and the possibility of rising fares. While local authority control over bus routes was limited, they awaited the outcome of the Bus Services (Wales) Bill with interest, and groups such as Cardiff North Neighbours were good at helping older people get around. Officers also noted that while many older people made good use of active travel routes, they often reported confusion about shared routes. Members added that this had been a theme of the Economy & Culture Scrutiny Committee’s engagement on public transport, noting that the success of active travel systems depended on the behaviour of those who used them, supported through enforcement activity and adequate signage. Members asked how messaging was undertaken and heard that newsletters and online help were key. Digital exclusion was a challenge, and they worked collaboratively with Money Advice to ease cost of living pressures for older people. Money Advice provided an at-home service which was particularly important for those who lived alone and couldn’t get to a Hub, while information about support available was printed on bills for council tenants. The Day Opportunities service also sought to reach out to those who were socially isolated and help them to build confidence. Members asked how the demographics of groups were tracked, and heard that while the memberships tended to be very diverse, especially in the south of the city, they didn’t have targeted sessions other than a Ukrainian film club. Community handbooks sought to ensure equal access to services, as did outreach work such as the Race Equality Fair. Members asked whether there were specific KPIs tracking ethnicity, and heard that this wasn’t the case as they felt it might be off-putting for people to have to fill out a form whenever they attended an event, but they took notice of whether events were reflective of the communities in which they were taking place. Members advocated also recording the popularity of different translated documents, which officers agreed was a useful indicator. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were provided with background information and context to aid their policy development scrutiny of the Ageing Well Strategy Refresh. For this item, the Chair welcomed: Cllr Leonora Thomson Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Jane Thomas Director of Adults, Housing & Communities Louise Bassett Assistant Director, Adult Services Nicola Pitman OM Health & Wellbeing and Library Strategy The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, in which she noted the positive impact of the current strategy which was due to end in March 2027. She emphasised the increase in both the scale and complexity of demand and the importance of developing a five-year strategy that built on the progress to date in order to improve outcomes for older people. Officers gave a presentation providing further detail, noting that the number of people aged over 65 was projected to increase by 17% over the next ten years. The number of people who would need help with activities and daily living would increase by 15.6%, the number of people with dementia by 29.5%, and severe dementia by 32%. The strategy sought to set out how the council delivered care, support and prevention for older people within Adult Services, and set priorities for how services were planned. The draft strategy would be developed by December for approval in January. Officers highlighted the achievements of the current strategy, including stronger front door and preventative services, improved hospital discharge performance, strengthened workforce, successful embedding of the ‘At Home’ approach, reduced backlogs and increased service user satisfaction. The strategy supported older people to live well in their homes and communities, helping them to stay active and connected and live independently. Engagement on the new strategy included the Tenants Together focus group, the Age Friendly Cardiff forum and network, as well as older persons groups and the India Centre. Key themes of the engagement had included independence at home, loneliness and isolation, the availability of community groups and spaces, the need for single points of contact and non-digital options, and the need to recognise. unpaid carers. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below. Members noted the difficulty of reaching out to older people who lacked a support network, and heard that data capture was key to identifying those who needed to be reached more proactively. Members advocated building triggers into the system when vulnerable cases were identified, and praised the work of the Independent Living Service. Members discussed the availability of services across the city, and cited waste disposal as a frequent concern for older and less mobile constituents, especially those who needed to get rid of bulky items they didn’t use any more. Officers noted the cost of private collections and the possibility of working with waste management as part of the Age Friendly City network, and added that there were also services in place for people who had issues with hoarding. Members noted the interrelated health issues that became more likely with old age, and advocated consistent engagement with a variety of groups like Women Connect First to get the fullest possible picture. Officers explained that Adult Services had already been in contact with around 75 service users about the strategy, and would continue this as it developed. The draft strategy was due in December and would be brought back to the Committee before then. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were provided with background information and context to aid their policy development scrutiny of the Disability Friendly Strategy. For this item, the Chair welcomed: Cllr Leonora Thomson Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Jane Thomas Director of Adults, Housing & Communities Louise Bassett Assistant Director, Adult Services Nicola Pitman OM Health & Wellbeing and Library Strategy The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, in which she described the strategy as filling a key part of the jigsaw. Physical disability and sensory loss affected a significant proportion of Cardiff’s population, and they wanted to support people’s ability to live independently and participate fully in everyday life. The strategy built on their commitments to inclusion and equality, and aligned with other goals like those set out in the Learning Disability Strategy. Officers gave a presentation providing further detail, noting that physical disabilities were those which affected a person’s body or physical functioning, while sensory loss referred to reductions or loss in one or more of their senses, most commonly sight or hearing. Both could be present from birth or develop later in life, and could be partial or complete, temporary; long-term or progressive, and visible or hidden. Officers noted that one in five people in Wales were disabled, including 67,000 Cardiff residents, or 23% of the population. 17% of people in Wales were deaf or had hearing loss or tinnitus, and it affected up to 80% of those over 70. More than half a million people across Wales have hearing loss, while around 10,000 people in Cardiff lived with sight loss, and it was forecast that this number would increase by 15% over the next ten years. Disabilities were also more common in areas of higher deprivation. Officers added that the council’s Corporate Plan for 2026-29 committed it to developing a draft Living Well With A Physical Disability Strategy, the title of which changed to the more inclusive Disability Friendly Strategy (Physical Disability & Sensory Loss) following initial engagement. Officers had reached out to Deaf Hub Cardiff, who identified their key challenges as being limited communication assess, including inconsistent BSL provision and shortages of interpreters, education gaps, low awareness, health inequalities, social isolation and inequality in support. At the moment officers were mapping existing initiatives, services and provisions across partners and engaging with communities to inform the draft strategy, which would go to Cabinet next March before a full public consultation. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below. Members discussed the alignment of the strategy with others covering topics like learning disabilities and neurodivergence, and heard that it was essential to fill gaps in support without duplicating work. Many of the themes within the strategies were closely linked. Members highlighted the importance of unseen disabilities, which officers agreed were key. Members asked about expanding blue badge access, noting that the process for applying for one was notoriously complex, and residents were often frustrated by the need to reapply even for lifelong conditions. Officers explained that while blue badge regulations were set nationally, mobility was a key consideration of the strategy, and officers would continue to lobby and highlight these issues. Members noted the high cost of implementing and maintaining disability-friendly equipment, and advocated support for third sector groups to cope with this. They also noted the popularity of the off-road mobility scooters provided in Cefn Onn park and suggested expanding their provision, and suggested offering temporary loans of equipment to those who were temporarily disabled, for instance while waiting for an operation. Officers welcomed the suggestions and indicated that they would feed into the mapping exercise being undertaken. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
There were none.
The next meeting was scheduled for Monday 15th June, subject to approval of the council diary at Annual Council.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Peter Littlechild: Personal interest on Ageing Well Strategy Refresh
Outreach worker for Albany Road Baptist Church, which runs groups for older people.
Sue Lent: Personal interest on Disability Friendly Strategy
Her son is a service user.
Bablin Molik: Personal interest on Disability Friendly Strategy
Works with Sight Cymru.
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