Hundreds of people in Reading are on adult care plans due to mental and physical health disabilities, it has been revealed.

Local authorities are responsible for providing adult social care to help people live with dignity.

Adult social care contains a wide range of support, from cooking and assisting people to get dressed to helping them with taking medication.

As such, care assessments and plans are devised to judge what care a person needs and how such care can be delivered.

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Figures show hundreds of people in Reading had their care plans reviewed at the end of April this year, for a series of reasons including physical disabilities, sensory issues, mental health and memory problems.

Data given by the council show that 701 people were waiting for care assessment reviews which were overdue, with 296 people having reviews for physical support conducted.

The figures are divided by those of working age 18-65, and those aged 65+.

Dozens of people are seeking access to adult social care plans as well.

There were 66 new requests for adult social care assessments in April 2022.

A plurality of these requests, 26, were for those seeking physical support, with others seeking support for sensory issues, mental health and other disabilities.

Assessment application forms can be found on the council’s adult social services website or by calling 0118 937 3747.

The council also has preventative services  to help people live independently in their own homes, which includes health visits and temporary or permanent adaptations to a person’s home, such as disability access and equipment that can assist with using stairs and showers.

A key part of adult social care involves health visits to care and nursing homes.

These visits are undertaken by 18 contractors which are dispatched to 75 ‘care beds’ in the borough.

Of those, there are 38 beds for those who are experiencing elderly frailty, 27 are for those who are in dementia nursing homes, and 10 are for those who have dementia and are living in retirement homes.

The companies Reading Borough Council contracts can be found on its website here.

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The information was given by the council in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by James Allen, which was published in July.

Earlier this year, the council’s budget for 2022/23 was approved, with a £43 million total spend on adult social care.

At the time, councillor John Ennis (Labour, Southcote) pointed out that the budget included an extra £5 million to fund adult social care in the borough.