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 Carolyne Hague Principal Adult Occupational Therapist
Tina Ramage Principal Adult Social Worker
Welcome to the second May Practice Bulletin!
Hello all,
Since our last bulletin we hope you have had some time to rest and recuperate, or at least have some time planned. Looking after ourselves as well as the people we support, is really important at this challenging time, where we frequently find ourselves working in isolation and in different ways.
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Last week was National Mental Health Awareness week, with the theme being ‘celebrating kindness in our community’. There is information and resources available across health and social care, that focus on wellbeing and support for you. We wanted to highlight a couple of resources that you might find helpful:
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Talk Works -Support for Your Physical and Mental Wellbeing.
All social care staff with receive priority access to this service, which offers free and confidential advice, to support you to look after your mental and physical wellbeing, as well as that of others; see Talk Works. or call 0300 555 3344.
There is also an NHS app/online resource which offers quick reference guides to look after health and wellbeing within our health and social care teams. Guides included - 10 minute pause space, conversations about painful subjects, working remotely, leaders looking after self and others.
In this bulletin, we will be focusing on the use of technology in practice and we will be taking the opportunity to update you on the following:
1. What’s been going well? Even better if…?
2. Team focus: CDPE - The use of technology to keep in contact and support wellbeing
3. Social Care leadership – May update
4. Practice Focus: Technology
5. Practice Support
6. Practice guidance and other resources
7. Future Bulletins and feedback and link to past bulletins.
We have been hearing from you about the different ways that you have been working including, what’s been going well and opportunities that you are exploring in practice.
What’s going well….
- Lots of new use of technology for teams and meetings with people and families, creative ways of assessing and good use of time.
- Using a lot more email communication to support assessments.
- Interviews being completed on teams
- Building good relationships with providers and health colleagues
- Peer support going well on Team chat and our practice discussions
- Doing some reviews over Teams. Its going surprisingly well.
- The first trial of safeguarding level 2 training on teams has happened!
Even better if…..
- Miss the opportunities for 'informal' case discussion with colleagues’
- Can we have clear guidance on how we return to 'normal office-based working'
meaning what are DCC expectations
- ‘I've been wondering what it will look like when things start to return to 'normal.
Thank you for your comments. We will continue to feedback the themes that we identify out of your comments and will be discussing them through with the Senior leadership Team; to share the learning and look at how we can improve things for you.
Emma Muriden, OT Team manager from CDP Eastern, tells us about how the team have been using technology to complete assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Technology cannot necessarily replicate the dynamics of a face to face visit, and won’t always be appropriate, but can still be effective in achieving the best outcome for some clients in the current challenging circumstances. By completing the assessments remotely we are not only reducing contact and therefore the risk of either contracting or spreading the virus, but also reducing the risk to the client that may occur by any potential delays in their assessment’.
Here are some reflections and examples of using technology in practice from the CDP East Occupational Therapy Team - highlighting the advantages of embracing technology:
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‘We live and work in extraordinary times. Those of us who usually visit people in the home to carry out assessments are having to think outside the box and work in different ways but technology does enable us to do some great work in identifying needs and finding suitable, practical solutions’
Andy Luckraft, Social Care Assessor.
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‘I contacted a client who advised that she lived with her granddaughter who could help with answering a WhatsApp video call and hold the phone whilst I assessed the client. The client’s granddaughter was able to show me the environment and I was able to observe via WhatsApp video call that the client was having difficulties ascending and descending the stairs.
We established the client would benefit from a stair lift. I was able to complete the relevant paperwork and send in PDF format to the client via email (password protected). The client was able to sign the housing statement of need using a pdf marker on her computer and return it to me. I was then able to send this to the local district council to be processed.”
Sophie Glover, Occupational Therapist
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‘I completed a virtual home visit with a client with severe hearing impairment and mobility issues using WhatsApp video calling. This was completed with prior arrangement via the sensory team with the client’s enabler for 08:00 so that she could be present and use her smartphone. The WhatsApp video allowed me to look around the home and in particular the bathroom. The client was able to show me how she transferred and what the difficulties were. She was also then able to demonstrate how she would be able to manage a seated transfer.
By using video she could lip read what I was saying as well as communicate with thumbs and down along with support from her enabler. Equipment was issued remotely as well as a minor adaptation and I had demonstrated via video how to use it. The enabler agreed to be present for delivery and in the home for the first couple of uses as reassurance. She also took measurements with me guiding on the video.
The client, enabler and sensory team (referrer) were all pleased with the outcomes and the assessment completed within a couple of days. Until this point client had been strip washing.”
Sadie Hall, Social Care Assessor
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Highlights from this month’s meeting:
- 92 people took part.
- Sally Slade gave us her observations on returning to DCC to support with our response during COVID-19 pandemic.
- Presentation from the DOLs Team about the Mental Capacity Act
- Opportunity for leads to share practice challenges and opportunities
In relation to developing new ways of working we have been hearing about come of the different ways you have been utilising technology in practice. Such as,
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The Exeter CHSCT have used teams and skype to carry out best interest meetings, where possible and when deemed appropriate.
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The County Disabilities Team have supported a provider to use the promoting independence app (Autonome) to support a young person to establish their daily routine and increase their independence
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The Honiton CHSCT have used technology to provide a virtual tour to a residential home that a family were unable to visit to view.
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The Autism and ADHD Team have being using WhatsApp video chat as a way to communicate with young people they support, as this is a familiar platform this client group use.
It is fantastic to hear the creative use of technology in practice and we would encourage you to continue to explore and share your experience with us and others (by emailing carolyne.hague@nhs.net). Look out of technology presentations and webinars coming out soon.
We are creating a Social Care Practice Forum to ensure you get the practice support and development you need. This forum can support you with your practice and give you:
- The opportunity to individually ask us and other key colleagues across our social care teams your practice questions and queries, through a practice forum mailbox. (Which is currently being developed)
- Opportunity for wider practice development sessions, that we can deliver through webinars/MS teams to your specific team or the wider social care workforce.
Please submit your practice questions, queries and suggested topics to cover in the practice forum to adultsc.practicequeries-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
Watch this space for more details.
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The Practice Working Group continues to meet and respond to your requests for guidance and support.
Please refer to the COVID-19 resource page for the latest guidance updates, produced by the practice working group. This week there are new updates on the following subjects
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Charging for Community Services Restarting from 25th May
Devon County Council decided not to charge service users for community based care and support between 23rd March and 24th May. Charges for all community based care services will restart from 25th May.
Other Practice Resources:
• Digital Social Care . A useful website re. all things digital in social care including apps and using technology in practice.
• ACH One page guide to video conferencing .
• The newly launched COVID-19 – Adult Social Care workforce app can be downloaded on Apple and Android supported smartphones or accessed by browsers on any device by searching ‘Care workforce’ app.
• Mytherappy - Our colleagues at NDDH have a website recommending apps for recovery, rehabilitation and independent living.
• The challenges of working with PPE - This video link from RCOT acknowledges the challenges of using PPE in practice and how we might find ways to overcome these.
• Technology enabled care – new order process - This month we have launched a new process, making it easier for prescribers to order Technology Enabled Care. Process information is available on Millflow but look out for more details about an ILC webinar to explain the new process.
• Given our new use of Microsoft TEAMS, please do familiarise yourself with some of the training available that helps us all understand its capabilities. Please visit the Business Change Page
If you have any feedback about current bulletin content or suggestions around future content or practice bulletins. Please email your feedback to Kathy.mitchell@devon.gov.uk
View previous practice bulletins
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