Hope for change in public attitudes

The Wanless review of health and social care in Wales could help
raise the low public and political profile of social work, Welsh
health and social care minister Jane Hutt told a conference last
week.

Hutt said that, traditionally, health was at the top of the agenda
but Wanless’s emphasis on joint approaches and changes to
management and funding to increase collaboration could change
public and political perceptions of the sector. She told the
conference, organised by the Social Care Institute for Excellence,
that the answer also lay in greater investment, including more
training.

Hugh Gardner, vice-chairperson of the Association of Directors of
Social Services Wales, agreed the Wanless report could lead to a
centrally recognised role for social care.

He said social care could learn from health care’s ability to share
information, adding that social care’s ability to form a knowledge
base faltered because practitioners often moved between jobs and
agencies quickly.