Social care in Wales

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Social care in Wales encompasses social work; care home services in the community for adults, children and young people; and services for young children, including nurseries and after-school care clubs. The legal foundation is now the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.

Planning and commissioning social care is the responsibility of the 22 local authorities of Wales. They have some flexibility about what domiciliary care services are charged for. People in residential care who have capital of more than £50,000 are expected to meet the full costs of their care until their capital falls below the threshold.

In 2014, about 1.5% of the population aged between 18 and 64 received services, and about 14% of those over 65. [1]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales 40% of Welsh residents who may have needed social care were unable to access it. Some were “afraid of catching Covid”

86% of respondents to a survey carried out by Swansea University early in 2022 felt that the social care system in Wales was in need of reform and that this should be a high priority. Most agreed that social care staff should have comparable pay, working conditions and career progression opportunities relative to equivalent career stage NHS staff. [2]

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The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales during 2022. There are significant differences in the legislation and the reporting between the countries of the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

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References

  1. "Social care in Wales". BMA. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  2. "Four in 10 people in Wales who needed social care during pandemic didn't access it, study finds". Home Care Insight. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.