Welcome to the May 2022 edition of the Adult Social Care bulletin. This month's bulletin comes with an introduction from Sally Caren - Head of Adult Social Care and Support.
It’s been a busy couple of months which is reflected in this bulletin which is well worth a read. In the last bulletin Pete Fahy (Director of Adults & Housing) commented on how the national agenda for Adult Social Care was likely to impact and the work that is already in progress. There is a little more detail on that in this month’s edition, including the outcome of the ‘bringing it all together event’ which took place in March. This started to link together the Councils ‘One Coventry’ plan to the Adult Social Care vision and our own Team plans. This year we have approached business planning slightly differently with Teams involved in the development of their plans for the coming year, hoping to develop a “golden thread” between all our plans, corporate and local.
The process has led us to review the Adult Social Care Vision and Objectives that we have had in place for some years and subsequently to some revisions. Unsurprisingly things have changed, and we have taken the important step to align our work to that of the wider health and social care system represented through the Integrated Care System. It will look a little different but has synergy with the other documents we publish and importantly details what we do, how we do it and shares some important contact details. It will describe the every day work of Adult Social Care and the newly created ‘Adult Social Care Offer’ will be shared more widely and within a future bulletin soon.
As always, we welcome any comments and feedback you may have and also hope that these bulletins encourage some of you to get involved with Adult Social Care to ensure the voices of our citizens and carers are included as we continue to develop and improve our services here in Coventry. Details of how you can do this are included at the end of the Bulletin.
Finally, this edition includes a very personal account from Wayne Checkley, Support Assistant in LD. A remarkable account of how he approached his own health and wellbeing and whilst several of us (me definitely!) would not be up to the very real challenge of climbing Everest, it’s a useful and inspirational reminder of the need to look after ourselves and one another. Very well done to Wayne!
Welcome to the transitions team. Transition from childhood to adulthood can be unsettling and worrying for young people and their families, at a time when they are also often negotiating wider changes to their life. The transitions team is passionate about supporting people through this change and supporting young people to be confident, valued members of society.
We are part of the All Age Disability Service, a team of seven social workers and community care works and one team leader. We work with 15–25-year-olds with a range of disabilities who need support to identify and achieve the outcomes that are important to them. This includes supporting people as they transition from children’s services into adult social care; from school to college; and to plan what post-education life looks like for them.
We are committed to offering a strengths-based, person-centred service to young people. We work closely with young people and their carers; children’s services; education; health and a range of other professionals to enable people to live the best lives for them. Most of our referrals come from children’s services but can also come from a wide variety of other sources.
In Adult Social Care we're gearing up for significant changes to the way we work. In the last nine months a host of different policies, white papers and legislation have been produced which will have an impact on the delivery of Adult Social Care. The key changes involve:
Introducing a Care Cap (which places a limit on what people will pay over their lifetime in care costs).
Increase saving thresholds, so that less people will fall under the definition of being a self-funder
Increased support for people who are deemed a self-funder & access to commissioned services
Adult Social Care services will be regulated by the Care Quality Commission
More robust partnerships between health and social care
A continued focus on increasing choice and control with services, ensuring high quality care is available.
Changes to the Mental Capacity Act which mean the implementation of Liberty Protection Safeguards.
Although most of these changes will not come into effect until 2023/24, we know we have a lot of work to do to ensure ready to be able to deliver these changes. We will use this bulletin to explore these changes in more detail and what they actually mean in practice.
How are we responding to the reforms?
Work continues on the programme of social care reforms and an internal Adult Social Care Programme Steering Group is now meeting regularly to ensure progress on all the requirements of the reforms with regular reporting into the Adult Social Care Management Team.
With regard to the implementation of Liberty Protection Safeguards, due to replace the current Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards next year, whilst work is continuing to understand the requirements of the new legislation and how the service will need to adapt we are still awaiting confirmation of date of implementation and formal guidance.
As part of our improvement plans and preparation for the new Care Quality Commission (CQC) Assurance Framework we are currently finalising two new pieces of information we will share on our web pages and with partners and stakeholders across the city.
The Adult Social Care Offer describes in a clear and succinct way the services provided by Adult Social Care in Coventry, what people can expect when they contact us and the various processes involved, e.g. assessment, review and financial assessment. The statement also includes useful signposting information and jargon busting to provide further help and support.
The Adult Social Care Approach to Engagement, Involvement and Co-production gives a clear commitment to working in a co-productive way and states that “We want to work in way that is transparent, honest, accessible and inclusive and that we maintain an open dialogue with Coventry residents. We want decisions made in Adult Social Care to be informed by the voices of Coventry residents”.
Work is currently taking place across the service to increase and improve how we involve people on both an individual and group level to increase co-production and engagement. This will help us to better understand the needs of people and ensure services are designed to meet needs accordingly.
The full documents will be shared during the following weeks and will be published online with hard copies available.
Bringing it all together - 11 March 2022
Colleagues across Adult Services met recently face-to-face for the first time in almost two years to reflect on how adult social care reforms will impact services and residents receiving support. There was a lot to reflect upon, the impact of the pandemic, home working and how we ensure services can return to normality for the future.
In March more than 30 staff members met to look in more detail at adult social care reforms and other major government policy shifts that will impact the service in the coming months – some of the most significant changes since the introduction of the Care Act in 2015.
Pete Fahy, Director of Adult Services, explained: “It was great to be able to spend some time together and we had plenty of opportunities for feedback and discussions with colleagues who attended.
“In Adult Services we are very fortunate in having a very committed and compassionate group - but we wanted to be very, very clear about the major challenges ahead.
“We don’t know how much funding the Council will receive for this work, but it places a lot of new responsibilities on local authorities that we need to implement very soon”.
We were also able to set out arrangements for appraisals and team planning so that these include items on the reform work.
This was also set out in the context of our One Coventry Plan and the need to work across organisations and communities. We need everyone ready and prepared for these changes and this applies to all Adult Services colleagues and those services we commission. It is also very relevant to colleagues right across the Council.
Health & Wellbeing Event at Coventry Muslim Resource Centre - 20 March 2022
On 20 March 2022 we took part at the Health & Wellbeing Event held at the Coventry Muslim Resource Centre. The event was organised by Coventry Clinical Commissioning Group.
A host of agencies were present including Adult Social Care, Arden Memory Services, Carers Trust Heart of England and many others.
Whilst there people were able to receive free health checks, such as blood glucose monitoring and blood pressure checks.
There were key speakers at the event, including how to maintain a healthy diet during Ramadan and fasting.
Supporting Hospital Discharge - 23 May 2022
On 23 May, a host of different organisations came together at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire to support learning across the hospital about the range of services involved that can support hospital discharge and community support. The event was a drop in session throughout the course of the day and was attended by a range of staff from the hospital all keen to learn more about the services available to support Coventry residents.
A range of voluntary sector organisations, CWPT, PCNs, Adult Social Care and Carers helped facilitate stalls and information during the day.
Pictured below is Emma (Broker), Tom (Team Leader) and Dee (Social Worker) all based at the hospital.
Mental Health Services - Key Changes
If you've accessed support through Mental Health Services in recent years you might be familiar with the acronym IPU (Integrated Practice Unit) or you might be familiar with where the team is located.
The teams have recently been renamed which gives a clearer focus on the role & remit of the service. Here's a brief overview of the the Mental Health Teams which are based around the city:
Access Hub
All new referrals to Mental Health services go through the Access Hub which can be contacted on 08081 966798.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Team - based at Tile Hill
This team is based at Tile Hill Health Centre and work with people who are experiencing a non-psychotic condition such as anxiety, depression and personality disorder.
Recovery Team - based at Swanswell Point
The Recovery Team are based at Swanswell Point and help support people living with chronic and enduring mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions.
Coventry Memory Assessment and Community Dementia Service - based at Longford Health Centre
The Arden Memory Service is based at Longford Health Centre and support people in Coventry who have Dementia or are in the process of being diagnosed with dementia.
Access Hub / Home Treatment Team - based at the Caludon Centre
Are based at the Caludon Centre. This team provides 24/7 support 7 days a week. Part of this service is the Approved Mental Health Professional Service who undertake Mental Health Act Assessments and explore the need for people requiring an emergency admission under the Mental Health Act. The service also provides support to be people experiencing an acute crisis within their home.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Team
This team is based at Friargate in Coventry, this team manages all applications for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Assessments.
Carers Week this year will be held between 6 June - 12 June and the Carers Trust are facilitating a full week of activities. There will be a range of different sessions across the city to support the week, including:
Flower arranging
Meditation
Yoga and Laughter Yoga
Aromatherapy
Gardening sessions
Afternoon tea and celebrations
Carers Week is a really important time to increase the visibility of our population that care for a loved one, friend or family member. Let's get talking about caring during that week and what it means to us!!
The Shared Lives Scheme is Celebrating Shared Lives Week from 13 June to 17 June.
It has been two years since we have been able to bring the Shared Lives community together to celebrate the fantastic support our Carers offer. This year the scheme will be celebrating “Resilience” a topic that has been at the forefront of all the work the scheme has demonstrated during the last two years. In the Queens Platinum Jubilee month we felt the best celebration would be an afternoon tea for all carers, families and people using our service to come together and create a collage of what resilience has meant to them, at the same time as enjoying tea and cake.
Shared Lives Carers open their homes and lifestyles to support individuals with additional needs to live with them in a family environment at the heart of a community. The pandemic has shown more than ever the importance of family life, being with people who care about you, reducing loneliness and isolation.
If you would like to know more about the Shared Lives Scheme and the services we offer please visit our website.
We know that we are starting to see concerns around the cost of living for Coventry residents. Energy prices have soared, food prices have increased, unemployment is high and many people are still feeling the lasting impact of COVID-19 on their health and wellbeing. The cost of living crisis effects everyone and we are all likely to feeling the impact.
The Coventry Law Centre have developed a short leaflet explaining some of the practical steps that people can take if they are struggling with their finances.
In Adult Social Care it's important that we routinely seek feedback about people's experience of accessing the service and seeking support, it gives us the opportunity to reflect on how things are working and make improvements for the future. We have relaunched our real time survey, so that we can get feedback in the here and now. You might be asked for your feedback following an assessment, therapy input or a review.
If you've had a recent assessment, review or support with Adult Social Care you can complete the survey.
The link to the survey will be appearing on our documentation from June 2022 so people can fill it in there own time.
Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group
Are you interested in driving change in Adult Social Care? Could you use your own experience to help us develop our services? The Adult Social Care Stakeholders group meet every other month to discuss upcoming developments and influence any changes. The group is open to anyone receiving services, carers and voluntary organisations. If you’d like to find out more or would like to attend our next meeting (either virtually or in person) on 28 June 2022 then please email GetInvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk
Housing With Care Survey
Coventry City Council is always looking to improve our care offer and ensure quality provision is available to all our citizens. We are currently seeking feedback from individuals within Housing with Care (HwC) schemes via a short survey to understand what should be included in these services moving forward. Specifically we are looking to understand:
What is working well?
What could be improved?
General impressions of the service.
All feedback is welcome and we greatly appreciate the contribution of individuals taking part. If you or a loved one has experience of living in a housing with care scheme, you can take part in the survey.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
Liberty Protection Safeguards - Consultation
Part of the imminent social care reforms are key changes to the Mental Capacity Act in particular changes to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (often known as DOLs) to Liberty Protection Safeguards.
This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice and implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards.
Wayne raises funds for Hospice tackling Everest Challenge
Wayne Checkley a Support Assistant working in our Internally Provided Learning Disability Services recently achieved the huge goal of climbing Mount Everest. In doing this Wayne has also raised awareness of Mental Health issues and the impact of a cancer diagnosis.
Wayne has shared the traumatic personal experiences that led to him making the trip:
“The reason for me doing this was because a couple of years ago my best friend committed suicide and that broke me into a million pieces it felt like, but I managed to put myself together again with the support of colleagues, friends and family and I was just starting to feel happy again when last year in July my sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given six months to live but fortunately she is still with us at this time and then four weeks later in August my Dad was also diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away seven weeks later and my whole world turned upside down again. I didn't want to slip into that downward state I was in after my mate died so I decided I needed to do something for myself and challenge myself and push myself mentally, emotionally and physically and just take some much needed time for me. So I thought I'd take on the Everest Trek and Kala Patthar .
I also decided to raise some money for the hospice that looked after my dad and the ward that is continuing to treat my sister.
"Congratulations to Wayne! Thank you for sharing your personal experience and highlighting such important issues."
Tracey Denny Head of Localities and Social Care Operations commented "Thank you!
We are all so proud of Wayne and what he has achieved – it takes a strong person to turn such tragic events into something so positive, the resilience and determination Wayne has shown in completing this challenge is just remarkable – Well Done Wayne!"
