Social care boss on the move

Reporter: Janice Barker
Date online: 02 March 2010

THE man in charge of looking after social care for adults and older people is leaving Oldham Council for a new job in the Midlands.

Paul Davies, assistant director for adult services, who has been with the authority since 2004, will become executive director for adult social care and Inclusion with Walsall Council.

Mr Davies, who joined Oldham from Kirklees Council and became an assistant director in 2005, has modernised older people’s services to bring them in line with 21st century needs.

That followed a 2002 report by the Social Services Inspectorate and Audit Commission which branded Oldham’s services too traditional, and awarded no stars in 2003.

Oldham has since become a three-star authority, rated as excellent.

This year, when Oldham’s adult social care services were assessed across seven areas, three were rated excellent and four above or well above average.

Mr Davies has been a keynote speaker at major conferences on modernising adult services since he helped Oldham become a pilot authority for the Government’s In Control scheme, giving adults an individual budget to decide on their personal care.

Before going into management, Mr Davies worked in frontline care services for a number of years as a residential worker, a residential home manager, a field social worker, contracts manager and a residential home inspector.

He said: “Walsall is very much like Oldham, although slightly bigger with 270,000 people, but very, very similar in the composition of the population, and being on the edge of a major city.”

Councillor Brian Lord, cabinet member for adult services and health, said “Walsall’s gain is Oldham’s loss. Paul Davies came at a time when were at rock bottom and he and executive director Veronica Jackson pulled the department round.

“Now we lead the country in a number of fields in adult care, and Government ministers, civil servants and other councils come to see how we are doing that.”