Manchester City Council have published their Market Position Statement for Care and Support 2015/16 and anyone with an interest in the future of care and support in Manchester should read it. Manchester's aim is "to forge a new relationship with its partners to benefit all who need care". The Market Position Statement describes the commissioning approach, the context for commissioning and some of the key issues that Manchester needs to address.
It urges organisations to come and talk to commissioners about how they can help and has a list of commissioners with contact details. As a matter of urgency commissioners wish to meet with:
- Partners who are interested in developing extra care housing for sale and lease.
- Partners who wish to market their services through our ‘Connect to Support’ e-marketplace.
- Residential care partners who wish to diversify their care offer.
- Home care partners who feel they could take on a wider range of services.
- Community organisations that wish to extend their work in dementia care.
- Organisations keen to diversify (ie. utilise more Assistive Technology, or children’s service partners providing services for adults).
- Organisations that are keen to form strategic alliances or consortia with others.
The statement identifies a number of approaches critical to success over the comming year including:
- Increasing the amountof Extra Care Housing (housing with support rather than residential care)
- Increasing the level of Co-production so that users of services are fully involved in the designing and runing of services.
- Developing Assistive Technology to allow people to live more independently
- Building Social Capital and Volunteering