A REPORT which proposes that a new care company be established within the Corserv group, Cornwall Council’s arms-length group of companies, was approved by its cabinet this week.

The new company aims to reduce the amount of time people spend in hospital and will help strengthen the care market. It will employ 300 staff and deliver around £10.5m of services each year.

Cllr Rob Rotchell, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for adults said: “Building more capacity within reablement services means more people can be supported to live independently at home and avoid being placed in long term residential and nursing care when they don’t need to be.

“All of these services being managed by one company will also make it a lot easier for care and health workers to refer people into the service.”

The council has agreed to the change following its purchase of Trefula nursing home in St Day, and its plan to invest a further £825,000 in the STEPS service which helps people get back on their feet after a stay in hospital.

The annual spend on these services will see an increase from £4.7m per year to £5.5m.

In 2018, the council commissioned a Strategic Review of Cormac which recommended that an alternative infrastructure be considered for Corcare and STEPS, which is currently managed by Cormac, whose primary focus is Highways.

The Cormac report proposed that, in order to enable Corserv to develop specialist expertise in the delivery of care services, a new care company be established as a subsidiary of Corserv Ltd, within the Corserv Group of Companies.

The new company will be able to recruit and develop new care staff to help bring additional capacity to the fragile care market in Cornwall. It will ensure that people receive the care they need. Supporting people to be at home and independent will be its central ethos. As a separate company it will have its own structure, governance and board arrangements with specialist management expertise.

STEPS and Corcare bring expertise in providing care and support for people with a mix of different needs.

Over the last year the reablement team have supported more than 900 people to leave hospital by working with health professionals to identify people who can, with support, return to their own homes.

This initiative will support the council to deliver on its priorities of "reducing the need for admission to care homes" and "reducing the number of people staying in hospital longer than is required".

The business plan will be presented at the next March Cabinet meeting for progression to the next stage.

The full report can be viewed on the council’s website at www.democracy.cornwall.gov.uk