As a hospital consultant I was delighted to be asked to be the Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care.

Given that the hospital doors are always open, we tend to talk about ‘exit block’. This is the term used to describe flow problems out of the Emergency Department and on to the wards. Traditionally we have always viewed this as being an issue with the transfer of ward patients into the community and adult social care. Therefore, the idea that I might be able to influence this was really appealing.

However, this matter is not solely one for social care. There is clearly an issue with how we in hospitals plan our discharges, and there are better ways of working in order to speed up the process. The dispensing of drugs to take away and the discharge paperwork, together with transport planning, are all areas for us to develop and improve within secondary care. The increasing use of successful Discharge Hubs has proven very effective in aiding the process.

As a private individual I experienced the adult social care system in another county during the care for an elderly relative. The challenges the system throws up cannot be underestimated and I see the chance to influence how can residents access and navigate the system more easily as a great opportunity.

My role as a local councillor also means I hear about social care challenges from individual residents. Once their issues have been addressed it seems to bring a huge degree of relief to the residents and satisfaction to the councillor.

During my time in post so far, I have been impressed with the dedication of the team and the desire to ‘do a good job’ for residents. Overall, maintaining residents’ independence within their own home is key - right up to the point that it fails to be a viable option

Working as deputy to Cllr Barry Answer, the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, who brings a wealth of experience to the role, means that together we can focus on the areas of adult social care that need to be improved for the people who use the services, while recognising the hard work and dedication of colleagues and celebrating what works well.

I look forward to the next three years with the team as we drive adult social care to an even higher standard for Nottinghamshire residents.

Councillor Kelvin Wright, Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care