New health and social care projects in Pembrokeshire were under the spotlight earlier this week, as Welsh Government Minister Vaughan Gething paid a visit to Havenhurst residential home in Milford Haven.

On Wednesday, Aprol 10, the minister for health and social services was given a tour of several innovative schemes on the site delivered largely through the Welsh Government’s Integrated Care Fund (ICF), which aims to provide integrated and preventative services through regional partnership boards.

Among the projects is a new bungalow development equipped with cutting-edge technology, which will enable individuals to be supported within the community as an alternative to hospital admission.

The minister also heard about the work of the third sector preventions programme in the county; encouraging volunteering, increasing citizen participation, signposting to information and assistance to prevent social isolation and promote independence.

The programme includes close working between Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Service (PAVS) and Swansea University to embed the ‘most significant change’ technique to evaluate the impact and benefit these projects have from the perspective of the person receiving them.

Christopher Davies, intermediate care project manager for Pembrokeshire County Council and Hywel Dda, explained to the minister how the bungalows fit in with Pembrokeshire county’s model of care which aims to provide seamless delivery of care across all partners and support for people at all stages of their life journey.

It forms an integral part of the intermediate care strategy which has been developed collaboratively between the local authority, the health board and third sector partners.

“Our technology-enabled care project allows us to provide personalised and proactive support,” he said. “All of the schemes and projects shown today play a vital role in helping people live independently in their own homes for longer.”

The ICF-funded projects are set to be complemented by a new £12m Transformation Fund recently announced by the Welsh Government.

Christopher added that said the fund was a ‘once in a generation opportunity to accelerate the pace of change and integration of care in West Wales’.

“The funding enables us to build on changes implemented over the past few years and will be pivotal in allowing the regional partnership to develop the model in Pembrokeshire and across the entire region,” he said.

Cllr Tessa Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Social Services, said she was delighted to welcome Mr Gething to Pembrokeshire.

She said: “There are so many innovative and exciting projects coming forward in Pembrokeshire and it was great to be able to showcase one of them to the Minster yesterday. The transformation fund gives us and our partners fantastic opportunities to implement new ideas and innovations.”