Seven companies will be competing to manage the new Home Help Service (SAD) model that the Santa Cruz City Council aims to introduce by the year’s end. This was revealed yesterday to DIARIO DE AVISOS by the Councillor for Social Action and President of IMAS, Charín González, who clarified that the alteration “aims to enhance the service for beneficiaries while also emphasising the professional role of the assistants.”
The councillor noted that, “once the submission deadline has passed, the applications from the companies will be assessed. These companies are quite significant in the sub-sector, and it is even possible that all seven could participate, as the intention is to extend elderly care services throughout all districts. A minimum of six proximity nodes will be established to ensure a shared space and also reduce the travel burden on auxiliary staff.”
González highlighted that, at present, 1,200 individuals aged over 65 and those who are dependent are being served through the SAD. However, the goal is that, “with the new system, the number of users will increase, divided into two phases, where one company will manage the beneficiaries, which also involves taking over almost 200 employees—one of the stipulations of the bidding process.”
In that context, she added that “the change in model will involve expanding the singular SAD office and establishing new offices to facilitate closer care. These offices will also host coordination meetings between municipal social services, the SAD team, and even general practitioners or the Canary Islands Health Service to review cases.”
“Home care assistants have the most direct contact with the individuals in need, as they are consistently in their homes. As a result, they can observe if the person is eating properly or if family members are visiting,” she pointed out. Consequently, “the new model aims to leverage the assistant’s role to provide Social Services workers with greater insights about the beneficiaries, allowing for a more effective and higher-quality service,” the councillor stated.
The councillor for this sector reminded that, at the last Governing Council meeting, an extension of the contract was approved until next November, “with the aim of initiating the service modification before the year’s end. We are coordinating with the Government of the Canary Islands, which is currently processing adjustments to the Royal Decree on Dependency, where we have requested certain amendments to implement this new management structure.”
