This instalment focuses on Steering and Advisory Board 1, which met on 15th July and focuses on the work of the Carers Partnership, the Dementia Programme and the Communities and Older People’s Programme.
Here are some of the key outcomes:
Carers Partnership
Gaynor Richards (Director of Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service) gave a detailed update of the recent deliverables of the Carers Partnership, which included:
- Strategy Refresh: The current Carers Strategy is due to come to an end in April 2026. This ambitious and detailed strategy was written during the early days of the pandemic when the challenges facing unpaid carers were highlighted. It was proposed that rather than go out to consultation and gather information to create a new strategy, a strategic refresh would be more appropriate. The focus is now on reframing priorities and planning for the next five-year period.
- Carer-Focused Pilot Commences: The Pharmacy and Optometrists pilot designed to raise awareness of the support needs of unpaid carers is going live this summer. This innovative initiative will trial a new approach to recognising and working with unpaid carers in pharmacies in the Upper Valley Cluster and with Optometrists across the region.
- Save the date: The third Annual Carers Event is now in the planning stages. This year’s event will take place on 18th September at the Swansea.com Stadium. This event will be an opportunity to link carers with services, information and other people who are experts by experience. More details and instructions on how to register will be circulated soon!
Dementia Programme
The Dementia Programme is focused on a strong multi-agency commitment to delivering the All-Wales Dementia Care Pathways of Standards through coordinated, person-centred approaches across the region. Work is underway across three key workstreams:
Workstream 1: Strategy, Community and Connectors
This workstream is progressing at pace and comprises several key initiatives, including:
- Regional Dementia Strategy: Thematic areas for the forthcoming strategy have been agreed based on the dementia journey. These are ‘Preventing Well, Diagnosing Well, Supporting Well, Living Well, and Dying Well’. A first draft is currently under review, with a regional engagement activity planned for late 2025/early 2026.
- Dementia Connectors: Delivered by the British Red Cross, the Dementia Connectors service is well established in Swansea. In Neath Port Talbot, Memory Assessment Service (MAS) clinics use their own support workers. Discussions are underway to align performance reporting across the region.
Workstream 2: Memory Assessment Service
Workstream 2 is making strides in the following areas:
- Modernisation of MAS: Workshops held in February and April 2025 have led to an agreement to develop a regional Standard Operating Procedure (this is a documented set of step-by-step instructions designed to ensure consistency and quality in performing a specific task or process). Differences between the service models currently in place across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot are being addressed as part of this workstream.
- Learning Disabilities: Efforts are ongoing to develop appropriate cognitive assessment tools and referral pathways that link learning disability services with MAS and dementia connectors.
- Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): The Dementia Hwb and Swansea University are working collaboratively to explore the development of a dedicated MCI clinic, which is currently in early data-gathering stages.
Workstream 3: Hospital Charter
This workstream focuses on implementing the Hospital Charter across the Singleton, Morriston, and Neath Port Talbot hospital sites.
Key actions include:
- Identifying ‘ward champions’ to support the delivery of the Charter.
- Including estates, local authorities, and third sector partners in a Hospital Charter working group.
- Incorporating the perspective of people with lived experience.
- Rolling out the Butterfly Scheme, the King’s Fund audit tool, John’s Campaign, and a training review aligned with the Good Work Framework.
We are also in the process of establishing a Virtual Network of service providers for those living with dementia across the region. This approach is being applied across all regional programmes of work and will form part of the wider ‘Network of Voices’, which will enable inclusive but flexible participation going forward.
Communities and Older People
SAB1 members received an encouraging update on the progress of the Discharge to Recover and Assess (D2RA) model within West Glamorgan, as well as ongoing improvements to the Integrated Discharge to Recover and Assess Hub and the Trusted Assessor model. These key areas of work are designed to prioritise patient recovery and assessment in the most appropriate setting, often outside of the hospital, before determining long-term care needs.
A significant win for this programme is the progress made in addressing care pathway delays (this means reducing delays in discharging patients who are ready to leave hospital).
Over the past six months, delayed pathways have decreased from 280 to around 180 – an improvement of 45%! Additionally, the total number of ‘days delayed’ has been halved within this time – from 18,000 to 9,000 days. These successes reflect the dedication of teams working collaboratively to improve outcomes for older people.
There’ll be more on this in the next edition of our newsletter, so keep an eye out.
Thanks for reading, we’ll be back after the next SAB!