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Message from the Managing Director
Message from the Managing Director
26 November 2021
Dear colleagues,
I need to begin this week’s message with an update on the exceptionally challenging situation currently facing our colleagues in Social Services.
The Vale of Glamorgan, like the rest of the UK, is currently facing never-before-seen demand for health and social care services. We are currently seeing a 30% increase in people needing care at home, compared with before the pandemic.
This huge increase in demand combined with a national shortage of care workers is leading to delays in care provision and preventing the timely discharge of patients from hospital settings.
Our colleagues in Social Services are doing everything possible to support people who are well enough to leave hospital but who need ongoing care. Priority is being given to the most vulnerable, and alternative health and care packages are being offered as a short-term measure. More carers are being recruited to support people in need. A Fast Track to Care programme to get new staff trained and into jobs quicker than ever before will launch shortly. We are also working with our partners to help people avoid hospital admission in the first place so care is received closer to home.
The scale of work underway to try and reduce the impact of this crisis on our residents is phenomenal. I would like to thank all of those who I know are working round the clock.
The severity of the current situation made last week’s Regional Safeguarding Awards more timely than ever. As I mentioned in my message last week a number of teams were eagerly awaiting the results. I am delighted to report that the Council scooped two awards.
The Exceptional Commitment to the Safeguarding of Adults category was won by the ‘Call to Action’ Member Group, made up of representatives from the Council, Vale Locality Team and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Alongside them our Youth Homelessness Project Coordinator Sarah Collier of the Youth Service was also victorious, triumphing in the Significant Wider Community Safeguarding section.
A special mention is also warranted for Peter Williams, Senior Youth Engagement Officer for the Youth Service, who was highly commended in the category of Exceptional Commitment to Practice Demonstrated during Covid Restrictions.
The awards were well deserved recognition of all the hard work of many of our colleagues that has a very real impact on people’s lives.
Next week will see the return of a very different way of recognising the achievements of our staff. As is now tradition our staff advent calendar will return on 1st December. This year’s will work a little differently with some videos featuring as well as photos of teams. The calendar will also highlight some things going on beyond that of the Council. There are still a few doors yet to be finalised so if you know of a team or colleague that deserve some festive recognition get in touch with the Communications team. This year we will also have a festive shout out page on StaffNet+ to give everyone the chance to share some Christmas cheer with their colleagues. Watch this space.
I’d like to give a mention this week to the very important work done by colleagues in many teams, but perhaps most notably in Safer Vale and Housing, to end violence against women. Yesterday was White Ribbon Day, a day when thousands of people take action and raise awareness to prevent violence before it starts. Our teams are working to this end each and every day and I was proud to be able to mark this with SLT colleagues. If you would like to find out how you can get involved then take a look at some of the information shared on our Twitter feed.
I’d like to close this week’s message with heartfelt thanks and hwyl fawr to our departing Head of Finance Carys Lord.
Carys has worked in Local Government since 1985 and joined the Vale of Glamorgan Council when it was formed in 1996. Carys worked in a number of roles in Social Services, eventually as Head of Business Management and Innovation, before being appointed the Council’s Head of Finance in 2015.
There can have been few more challenging periods to oversee a local authority’s finances than the last six years. Across Wales the Vale of Glamorgan Council has a reputation for excellent financial management. This is one of the reasons we have been able to transform how we deliver many services to protect residents from the impact of austerity. This is in no small part down to Carys’ work. Carys is a fantastic public servant. Her sound judgement and compassion will be greatly missed in the Vale. Our loss is very much Bridgend’s gain and I wish her all the best in the next chapter of her career. Diolch Carys a pob lwc.
I hope you all enjoy a restful weekend.
Diolch yn fawr pawb.
Rob.