1 Introduction
1.1 The strategy document sets out the North Lincolnshire Council Social and Housing Services' vision, values and strategic plans for the development and delivery of services to older people. The strategy will provide a basis for joint planning and collaborative working with partner agencies and other key stakeholders, including service users and carers.
1.2 The strategy includes demographic evidence that highlights the fact that the population of older people in North Lincolnshire is set to rise significantly over the next twenty years. From this it outlines the requirements to modernise the service, alongside the need to improve and maintain performance in line with key government and locally determined performance indicators and targets. The strategy also emphasises the importance of building effective partnerships with key stakeholders, including service users and carers and acknowledges the vital role played by staff and managers in implementing the strategy and improving services.
1.3 Emphasising a series of key themes, the strategy outlines a set of strategic objectives in terms of areas for development. These are outlined below and build upon the considerable progress made to date as a result of the refocusing the service that took place during 2001-2002. It is a positive sign for the future that due to the skills and commitment of staff and managers quality services have been maintained and in some areas improved during what has been a period of considerable change and adjustment.
2 Vision
2.1 In consultation with key stakeholders, service users and carers a vision of services for older people and their carers in North Lincolnshire has been developed. Contained within the strategy is a set of aspirations expressed as desirable outcomes for older people and a set of principles by which services will be delivered. Together these form the vision for services in the future.
2.2 Reflecting the vision, a statement of purpose of the North Lincolnshire Council Social and Housing Services, Older People's Service is contained within the strategy and is as follows:
The guiding principle of the North Lincolnshire Council Social and Housing Services, Older People's service is to promote well being and independence by providing the support needed so that individuals can make most use of their capacity and potential.
Our aim is to enable older people and their carers to live as safe, fulfilling and as independent lives as possible, in homes of their choice.
To achieve our aim we will work alongside older people and their carers to assess and meet individual need as required. We will work alongside our key partners in health organisation, the voluntary sector, the independent sector and the community as a whole to improve the ways in which services are developed and delivered.
3 Areas for development
3.1 The strategy outlines strategic objectives in terms of areas for development. In the strategy, these objectives are contained under key themes that also serve to highlight some of the strengths and challenges inherent in current arrangements. By way of summary, the areas of development are presented here in bullet point form under the key theme headings. The stars denote the priority areas for development in 2002-2003.
3.2 Home Care
- Specialist services for older people in relation to:
- Mental Health*
- Learning Disability
- Challenging Behaviour
- Ensure services better meet the needs of diverse and ethnic communities*.
- Develop services to older carers.
- Implement a respite at home service.
- Implement reviews of the External Provision Team and the Community Support Team and co-ordinating outcomes.*
- Develop a strategy for the more effective co-ordination of home care services across the health and social care sector.
- Implement minimum care standards.
- Implement a more co-ordinated approach to reviews.*
3.3 Intermediate Care
- Review the current intermediate care service.*
- Establish a rehabilitation service based at The Lilacs residential home, Scunthorpe.
- Secure funding beyond 2003.*
- Identify and implement requirements to provide intermediate care services to older people with mental health problems.
- Implement the intermediate care strategy.
3.4 Registered Care
- Publish a three year commissioning strategy for long term care.*
Determine and agree a realistic fee structure for care home services.*
- Ensure effective joint working protocols are in place for implementation of free nursing care from April 2003.*
- Agree a single assessment process.*
- Complete the tendering exercise with a view to transferring the management of Rosecroft to an independent sector organisation by April 2003.*
- Develop new community processes for short stay care.
- Implement National Care Standards.
- Determine an improved process for better liaison across the whole of the independent sector.
- Improve internal financial planning and budget monitoring arrangements.
3.5 Day Services
- Review current day services in respect of the provision of day care.*
- In respect of the provision of day care, implement planning and arrangements to enable more effective coordination across the voluntary and independent sector and with health partners.*
- Ensure the development of a range of day services in line with the outcomes of the review.
- Develop new commissioning processes.
- Establish community based outreach services.
3.6 Meals at home
- Improve financial planning and budget monitoring arrangements.*
- Implement joint training processes for volunteers and staff.*
- Establish partnerships with new providers as necessary to ensure a seven day service across North Lincolnshire.
3.7 Mental Health
- Contribute to the completion of a joint strategy for older people's mental health services.*
- Review the Travelling Day Service.*
Develop a resource centre for older people with mental health problems and their carers.
- Agree a joint training strategy to ensure staff across the local health and social care community receive appropriate training in dementia care and mental health.
- Contribute to the developing carers support strategy.*
- Ensure that the needs of older people with mental health problems are reflected in the outcomes of service reviews such as the one relating to day services.*
- Establish a task group to identify the need for specialist therapy services with an integrated mental health service.
- Establish a task group to develop specialist community links and outreach services.
- Develop an information and communication strategy for the emerging older people's mental health service that targets service users, carers, the community and key professionals.
3.8 Housing
- Develop a range of supported accommodation which can meet a range of need, including the most complex needs such as those arising from dementia and frailty.
- Establish joint allocations protocols.
- Examine the use of new technology in helping people to remain in their own homes.
- Examine the role of supported housing.
- Consider the establishment of a Home Improvement Agency.
- Establish an Older People's housing project team to consider the above.*
- Identify a lead for the Older People's Service to ensure the smooth implementation of the Supporting People requirements.*
3.9 Service Users and Carers
- Designate direct payments champions in each team.*
- Develop a strategy for the improved take up of Direct Payments by older people by April 2003.*
- Implement new review and care planning processes.*
- Improve the numbers of carer assessments completed*
- Publish a strategy which focuses on the need to improve our engagement with service users and carers.
- Delegate responsibility across the service to ensure information is accurate and accessible.*
- Re-establish a panel of Service Users to look at all new policies and procedures with a view to rooting out ageism and ensuring appropriateness of approach.
- Designate lead officers to work with the health promotion service, particularly in the areas of falls and strokes.
- Improve the complaints process.
- Develop plans to engage with diverse and ethnic communities to ensure the appropriateness of current and developing services.*
3.10 Improving our partnerships
- Consider ways of improving the care management presence in primary health care teams.*
- Develop a strategy that focuses on improved joint planning with the voluntary sector.*
- Redesign current access arrangements.*
- Develop protocols with integrated services to improve transition and specialist care arrangements
- Pilot the single assessment process with IT Support within the intermediate care service.
- Develop a joint training strategy with a view to exploring the feasibility of a training consortium
- Enable more effective coordination of joint funding arrangements.*
3.11 Managing Performance
- Establish a performance management audit group.*
- Agree an information specification for the Older People's service.*
- Develop local performance indicators and ensure they are reflected in the Quarterly Performance Review.
- Service plans to include measurable outcomes and team and service targets.
- A renewed emphasis on publishing our achievements.
3.12 Developing our workforce
- Audit employee development and supervision processes.*
- Establish a workforce planning group.*
- Determine our workforce requirements in terms of numbers and qualifications
- Ensure processes are in place to involve staff in service and practice development project teams.*
- Implement a management standards approach in the employee development process for managers.*
- Implement a new meeting structure.*
- Achieve the requirements for staff to be qualified to NVQ levels and provide
the appropriate level of assessors.
4 Conclusion
4.1 Achieving the key areas for development outlined in the strategy should ensure the Older People's service is well placed for the future. Development activity will build upon what has been achieved so far. This includes a sound structure; a skilled and committed workforce; effective collaboration with health partners; a prevention focus with promoting and maintaining independence as strong themes and an emerging emphasis on performance and information management.
4.2 The development agenda outlined in the strategy should ensure that services are flexible enough to accommodate demographic change in addition to addressing the increased expectations of new generations of older people. Perhaps more markedly, the implementation of this strategy should have a positive impact on the lives and experience of older people and their carers living in North Lincolnshire by ensuring their needs are met in ways that are effective and appropriate to each individual.
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