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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.