Planning the future of care
Our Community Conversation on the future of care for older residents will take place over three weeks from 9 March to 30 March. It will help inform the council’s future direction and plans for all aspects of its support for older people’s independence and wellbeing, including:
- adaptations, technology and personal support to help people remain in their own home,
- reablement support and intermediate care beds to help people return to their own home after a spell in hospital
- access to the right mix of affordable specialist housing offering support and care
- modern residential care, with facilities and services that are fit for the future
- specialist support for people with severe dementia
On this page you will find an online survey for residents aged 50 and over, and an online survey for organisations that support older people. We will also be out and about across Westmorland in Furness chatting to residents.
Before we develop our future options, we want to know what matters most to YOU when you think about your future.
Find out more
Cllr Patricia Bell, Westmorland and Furness Council Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Care, explains the background to the Community Conversation ‘A place called home’
“Some of the most important and difficult care decisions to be made as you get older are about where you will live, and how you can retain your independence for as long as possible.
“We want to hear what is most important to people as their needs grow, what people really mean by independence as they get older, and what awareness there is of different kinds of housing that supports older people.
“This Community Conversation is being launched because Westmorland and Furness has an ageing population, with numbers aged 65 and over projected to rise 28% from 58,500 in 2021 to 75,000 in 2043. The numbers of people with severe dementia also are going to rise significantly.
“This is all going to put unsustainable pressure on residential care home provision for example, so we have to look at ways of preventing, reducing or delaying need for more intensive and more costly care such as residential care.
“If you can no longer live safely at home then the only option doesn’t have to be moving to a residential care home – we think there needs to be more affordable specialist housing and care options available between your own home and going into a care home, and we want to see what residents think about that.
“At the same time as these demographic challenges, Government funding for Westmorland and Furness Council has been cut significantly, so it is even more important we look at innovative ways of working and new models of care.
“It is also important for the council to clearly define its role so that we are making the best use of our resources by concentrating on providing modern services that the independent market cannot reliably provide on its own.
“Within that role we very much want to be ambitious and innovative, with modern, fit-for-the-future services and are looking at new ideas and best practice from around the UK and Europe.
“I hope you will join the Community Conversation – your voice matters and we want to plan the services that you and your family in Westmorland and Furness expect and deserve in the future.”
Project phases
March, 2026 - Community Conversation
This Community Conversation will help inform our future Adult Social Care plans and strategies for providing support and care for older people. It will also help the council plan future specialist housing provision for older people.
April to July 2026 - Options development
The results of this Community Conversation and other work by Adult Social Care will help the council create a shortlist of future options for support for older people, for consideration at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet in July. Cabinet may then decide to go ahead with a Public Consultation on one or more of the options, which would run from July to October 2026
July to October 2026 - Public consultation
If Cabinet agrees to go ahead, a full Public Consultation involving residents and stakeholders, lasting three months would take place on the policy options being put forward. The results of the consultation would be considered by Cabinet in November 2026, and a decision made on the way forward. The next step would be to create detailed business plans for the changes.
Join our Community Conversation
Proposal to implement a Low Emission Zone (LEZ)
This is an example activity for demonstration purposes only. This site is operated by Delib Ltd and submitted responses will be discarded. Nitrogen dioxide is a brown gas, with the chemical formula NO 2 . It is chemically related to nitric oxide (nitrogen monoxide), a colourless gas with the chemical formula NO. NO 2 is released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels (i.e., coal, gas etc.). We have collected air pollution data around Edinburgh and mapped it out to...
Healthy routes - cycling
This is an example activity for demonstration purposes only. This site is operated by Delib Ltd and submitted responses will be discarded. The Healthy Streets Approach and the 10 Indicators of a Healthy Street were developed by Lucy Saunders, a specialist in public health and transport. These were first included in TfL policy in the first Health Action Plan in 2014 and TfL has been working on how to deliver this Approach in London. The Mayor expects the Healthy Streets Approach to be...
Out and about in Furness
Our Community Conversation team will be out and about in Furness the week commencing Monday 9 March . Here are some of the places we'll be:
- Morrisons, Barrow: Wed 11 March
- Furness General Hospital (DWP Benefits Bus): Thu 12 March
- Cavendish Park, Barrow (Be Well pop-up): Fri 13 March
Out and about in South Lakeland
Our Community Conversation team will be out and about in South Lakeland the week commencing Monday 16 March. Here are some of the places we'll be:
- Waste Into Wellbeing Café, Kendal: Tue 17 March
- Ambleside Parish Centre (Evergreens group): Wed 18 March
Out and about in Eden
Our Community Conversation team will be out and about in Eden the week commencing Monday 23 March. Here are some of the places we'll be:
- Penrith Leisure Centre: Fri 27 March
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