Rural Development Sub-Committee

Inquiry into Poverty and Deprivation in Rural Wales

Response from Brecknock & Radnor Crossroads Ltd and Montgomeryshire Crossroads Ltd

27^th February 2008

Evidence on Poverty & Deprivation in Rural Wales

Brecknock & Radnor Crossroads Ltd and Montgomeryshire Crossroads Ltd are charities and domiciliary care agencies, registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). The organisations help to relieve the stresses of Carers from their caring role by the provision of short breaks and the corresponding personal care for adults, children and young people with care needs. We aim to provide our services free of charge to Carers, funded by local authority and LHB grants and service level agreements, together with grants and awards from the Welsh Assembly Government, the BIG Lottery, charitable trusts and other donors.

General Questions

1. What are the poverty/deprivation problems faced by rural areas?

As a consequence of the rurality of Powys, the cost of transport to deliver the service is higher than for any other Crossroads scheme in Wales. Our Carer Support Workers are paid 35p per mile, which has remained unchanged for more than five years, despite increases in fuel, road tax, insurance and vehicle maintenance costs. At this level, mileage costs are consistently in excess of £2.60 per care hour delivered, which means there is less to spend on delivery of care. Nonetheless, despite the lengthy periods of travel involved to and between calls, our employees do not receive pay for travel time. In 2006-7 travel costs, incurred in the delivery of care throughout the shires of Brecknock and Radnor, amounted to £47,161.59, which is the annual equivalent of almost 60 hours per week of care delivered by Crossroads - Caring for Carers.

The lack of respite funding provided by the local authority and Powys LHB for Parent Carers of Children with Disabilities, inhibits the ability of these Carers to seek, obtain and sustain employment, limits their quality of life and imposes a burden on public funds, with no offset through income tax or national insurance.

The lack of sufficient respite funding provided by the local authority and Powys LHB for Carers who wish to work, deprives the communities of opportunities, leaving them economically inactive and imposing a burden on public funds, again with no offset through income tax or national insurance Powys has an aging population and a rising incidence of dementia, as described by Rea, Palfrey and Phillips (2003). In the absence of rural community facilities, e.g. dementia day services, the rurality of Powys inhibits the ability of this sector of the population to access such services, which might be available in larger communities, e.g. Brecon and are more readily available in urban communities, such as Merthyr Tydfil.

The innate impracticality of providing sufficient public transport to satisfy the intricate network of communities throughout Powys means that many older people have very limited access to facilities taken for granted by urban communities.

2. Are anti-poverty/deprivation activities best dealt with by the Welsh Assembly Government or by the Local Authorities? Why?

Based on the performance of Powys County Council during the past several years, it is our unequivocal opinion that such activities are best dealt with by the Welsh Assembly Government, at this point in time. A review of the evidence submitted by Brecknock & Radnor Crossroads in November 2007 to the Communities and Culture Committee Inquiry into the Funding of Voluntary Sector Organisations in Wales (copy attached) states the evidence for this view.

3. (i) What anti-poverty/deprivation initiatives (WAG or LA) are you aware of?

None

3. (ii) Do these policies adequately address the needs of rural areas?

N/A

4. What specific measures would you like to see implemented by the WAG to deal with poverty/deprivation issues in rural Wales?

Direct funding to voluntary sector organisations, through vehicles such as the Community Facilities & Activities Programme (CFAP), which was a huge benefit to Carers and adults, children and young people with care needs in South Powys.

funding to provide domiciliary care to enable Carers who wish to have employment, to be able to do so.

5. What examples of good practice are you aware of in Wales/other parts of UK/overseas?

CFAP funding, accessed directly from the Welsh Assembly Government, was a major benefit to adults, children and young people with care needs. Normally, the cost of travel is a major limitation when providing care, therefore, we are unable to afford the cost of taking individuals with care needs out of their homes. CFAP funding allowed this to be accomplished.

In Swansea Neath Port Talbot, office accommodation and utilities are provided free of charge to the Crossroads - Caring for Carers organisation at Clydach War Memorial Hospital, thus reducing administration costs and allowing the provision of more frontline services to Carers and the people for whom they care.

In Llanelli, office accommodation and utilities are provided free of charge to the Crossroads - Caring for Carers organisation by Llanelli LHB, thus reducing administration costs and allowing the provision of more frontline services to Carers and the people for whom they care.

In Aberystwyth, Ceredigion Social Services Department provides accommodation and transport free of charge to the Crossroads - Caring for Carers organisation, which operates Saturday Respite Clubs.

In Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan Social Services Department provides accommodation and transport free of charge to the Crossroads - Caring for Carers organisation, which operates a dementia day service.

In 2006-7 fiscal, Local Authorities, LHBs and NHS Trusts, throughout Wales, excluding Powys, provided 87% of funding for the services provided by Crossroads - Caring for Carers schemes. In Powys, the Local Authority and Local Health Board provided only 35% of funding for services provided by Crossroads and provided no inflationary increase in funding for Carers short breaks, following the cessation of Carers Special Grant, which had previously been ring-fenced by WAG.

In 2007, seven Crossroads - Caring for Carers schemes merged into a single North Wales Crossroads scheme, to achieve economies of scale by reducing overheads through a shared administration. We regard as good practice the decision by CSSIW to treat the scheme as a single scheme, subject to a single inspection, as very good practice, since it helps reduce the cost of regulation which has had, and continues to have, such an adverse impact on the cost-effectiveness of charities such as ours. This good practice cost-saving will help offset the impending costs of compulsory registration of all Carer Support Workers and Care Managers, which is estimated to add more than £7,000 p.a. to the overhead cost of Crossroads - Caring for Carers schemes in Wales, thus depriving Carers of even more respite!

For each of the population groups please answer the following;

6. To what extent are these groups living in poverty/deprivation in rural Wales?

Please refer to 1. above

7. What poverty/deprivation issues are experienced by these population groups that are specific to rural areas? Please highlight any relevant evidence or research that you are aware of.

Low income, as indicated by National Audit Office statistics.

Own transportation essential, as indicated by the lack of and impracticality of providing sufficient public transport.

Social isolation, as evidenced by the population density. If the Millennium Stadium filled to its capacity of 74,500 represents the population of London, the equivalent number of seats filled to represent Powys would be about 1,300.

Remoteness of tertiary health care, with no District General Hospital in Powys.

8. How do the problems of the 4 population groups differ across rural Wales (for example between areas in West Wales and East Wales)?

Powys has a higher than average percentage of the population over 60 years of age, i.e. 26% against 23% for Wales, 19% for Cardiff, 21% for Rhondda Cynon Taff and Merthyr Tydfil, 22% for Blaenau Gwent, 24% for Ceredigion, Monmouthshire and Swansea/Neath Port Talbot, and 25% for Carmarthenshire (Census 2001). This being the case, it seems perverse that an apparently disproportionate amount of Powys local authority spending goes to those under 60 years of age, e.g. £60,000 p.a. of Mental Health Carers Grant (about 45%) to a significantly smaller proportion of the Powys Carer population. This spending profile should not be at the expense of older people, including a growing number diagnosed with Alzheimer’s/dementia and ergo, their Carers, which is projected to increase significantly during the next few years, according to research conducted in Powys - Rea, Palfrey & Phillips, (2003).

9. In what ways are any sub groups within the four population groups particularly affected by rural poverty for example, disabled economically inactive or female older people?

Please refer to 1. above

10. What are the most effective ways of tackling poverty/deprivation for individuals from these groups living in rural parts of Wales/

Infrastructure investment is essential, to provide proper jobs, i.e. other than in the statutory of voluntary sectors.

Provision of funding to cover the costs of transportation for the delivery of services.

11. How can these problems be addressed by the Welsh Assembly Government?

By changing the components of the index of poverty/deprivation. Vehicle ownership is essential and the fact that there is high home ownership, which is due largely to the rurality of Powys, distorts the index.

By direct funding of voluntary sector organisations on an all-Wales basis. Organisations, such as Crossroads - Caring for Carers make a major contribution to relieving the stresses experienced by Carers and through the early intervention provide by the delivery of short breaks, make a significant contribution to the prevention of unnecessary admissions to hospital and/or residential care. But the service available to Carers is very dependent on statutory sector support and Powys is the poorest in Wales.

By ensuring funding intended for the voluntary sector through local authorities is properly directed to the voluntary sector

Roger Gant
Brecknock & Radnor Crossroads Ltd
Croesffyrdd Sir Frycheiniog a Maesyfed

References:
Rea, Dr D., Palfrey, Dr C. and Phillips, Dr C. (2003) Out of sight? Advice on service models for older people in Powys with mental health problems, Swansea: University of Wales Swansea