Cllr Sarah Wakefield, Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Housing, Somerset Council
Adult social care matters to all of us. It is about supporting people to live healthy, safe and independent lives, with dignity, choice and control, and ensuring that people can remain connected to their families, communities and the places they call home.
I am pleased to introduce Somerset’s Adult Social Care Strategy 2026–2029. This strategy sets out our shared ambition for adult social care over the next three years: to support people in Somerset to live healthy, safe and independent lives, with the right support at the right time and in the right place. It reflects our commitment to putting people first, building on strengths within communities, and working in partnership to improve outcomes for local residents.
Importantly, this strategy has not been developed in isolation. It has been shaped through engagement with people who draw on care and support, unpaid carers, our workforce, partners, providers and local communities. Their voices, experiences and ideas have helped us identify the outcomes that matter most and the changes we need to make together. This gives me confidence that the strategy is grounded in what matters to people and in the realities of communities across Somerset.
Co-production is central to this approach. We know that the best services are designed and improved with the people who use them, not simply for them. That is why this strategy is not just a statement of intent, but a commitment to continue embedding co-production across Adult Social Care as we deliver it. We will work alongside people, carers and communities to shape how actions are taken forward, to understand whether they are making a difference, and to keep learning and improving over time.
As we move into implementation, we will continue to listen, involve and respond. We want people to be able to see how their feedback has influenced our work and how we are measuring the effectiveness of the actions within this strategy. By keeping co-production at the heart of our work, we can make sure our services remain responsive, inclusive and focused on the outcomes that matter most.
This strategy provides a clear direction for the future, but its success will depend on the strength of our shared endeavour — across communities, partners, providers and the Council. I look forward to working together to deliver this ambition for Somerset.