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This is our final newsletter of 2023 so we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We thank you for all of your work over the past year and hope you get some well-deserved rest during the festive period.
We do our best to keep the content and structure of our PEN website up-to-date in these fast-changing times and your suggestions on how to improve the website are always welcome.
Wishing you a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas
As we reach the end of the year many of us reflect over the last 12 months. It has been a busy 2023 as we all continue to recover from the impact of covid and feel the cost of living increases, but we thought we would share some positive progress achieved this year.
People tell us they want to live in the place that they call home, with the people and things they love, in communities that look out for each other, doing the things that matter to them. This is at the heart of our Promoting Independence vision, and it shapes the work we do every day.
This year we have made significant improvement in the availability of personal care, with a 93% reduction in the number of care hours that are waiting to be arranged. This has been possible thanks to our international recruits who are making an incredible impact and meaning people can leave hospital sooner and/or remain living as independently as possible in their own homes.
The latest national Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) data has been published, giving us the opportunity to compare ourselves with others across the country. We have consistently performed well on overall satisfaction and social care related quality of life judged by those receiving services, and we have done again this time, remaining in the top quartile in the country.
These outcomes cannot be delivered by the council alone each of you are key to health and care delivery in Devon.
We know that all social care services continue to work over the festive period but hope you will get a chance to enjoy some time off. We thank you and your teams for their ongoing resilience and hard work, and look forward to continuing to work with you in to 2024
Warm Regards
Solveig Wright - Head of Integrated Adult Social Care Commissioning
Keri Storey - Head of Integrated Adult Social Care Operations.
Closure of Pinpoint, interim changes to the Personal Assistant (PA) Network and how you can find information about local services
Devon County Council’s Pinpoint online community directory will no longer be available from 31 December.
While the directory has been a useful community resource, many organisations now have their own websites and are ‘findable’ by search engines or have their own social media pages and groups. As a result, fewer providers have been adding or maintaining their information to Pinpoint which has made the directory less representative of the support available within Devon’s communities.
The Pinpoint web address will remain available for a period of time with a page that will be signposting to other information sources and directories.
Devon County Council will be working to improve this information over the coming months. In the interim, if you are looking for support, please follow the links below.
For not-for-profit organisations please go to Devon Connect - Connecting Communities in Devon.
For care homes and personal care agencies please go to Find and compare services - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)
For adult day services, respite and enabling services please go to Do you need personal care within your own home? Care at home - day services, enabling and personal care | Devon County Council
For personal assistants and micro-enterprises please go to Find a personal assistant (PA) - Adult Social Care | Devon County Council
PA ‘shout outs’ remain
Please note that PAs registered to receive ‘PA shout out’ notifications will continue to receive these. This service is not changing.
PAs wanting to register to receive notifications of new business (i.e. from customers with Direct Payments/ self-funders) through this service, should do so via the link on the PA’s and Micro-providers page of the Home - Provider Engagement Network (devon.gov.uk)
Individuals or families looking for help in finding a PA via the PA shout out service, can be directed here: Find a personal assistant - Adult Social Care | Devon County Council
Plymouth Hope launch international recruitment support programme
As part of a regional programme, funded by central government, we have engaged Plymouth Hope to provide a range of support and resources to international recruits and health and social care providers across Devon, through their Migrant Social Integration platform.
Support includes a comprehensive social integration programme offering training courses, support and workshops that cover areas such as equality, diversity & Inclusion, modern slavery and cultural awareness for all workers and providers.
The programme aims to successfully integrate international recruits, helping them adapt to life in the UK, and in particular the Southwest, and for us to learn as much as we can from their experiences and traditions. We aim to foster meaningful connections and relationships, so that our international colleagues in the care sector can lead an active, meaningful, and fulfilling life in the peninsula.
Plymouth Hope are passionate about creating a welcoming space for individuals embarking on a new chapter in their lives. Their dedicated team is committed to providing essential resources, sharing key information, and fostering a sense of belonging. With a focus on building social connections, they strive to make the integration process a seamless and enjoyable experience.
David Feindouno, Chair and Founder of Plymouth Hope said:
“At the heart of our commitment to holistic integration is our Health and Social Care programme. We understand that well-being is fundamental to a successful transition. Through informative sessions, access to healthcare resources, and a supportive network, we aim to ensure international recruits health and happiness are prioritised every step of the way.”
The link below provides details of what is on offer and how international recruits, their employers, colleagues, and other professionals can access information and support.
Whether you are an international recruit, an employer, a fellow professional or are just interested in this offer please register now on the website.
Please remember to use the online COVID and Flu 'OBRA' Tool
Just a gentle reminder to all Adult Social Care Providers to use the web-based Care OBRA Tool to report all Acute Respiratory Infections to the SWHPT.
ARI_OB_Poster_SWHPT.pdf
Support from the Devon Wellbeing Hub over the festive season
The festive period can be a time of joy and excitement, but it may also be particularly hard for some people. It may bring up feelings of loneliness or you may be feeling financial and work pressures.
If you’re struggling, the Devon Wellbeing Hub is here to help. We realise that for lots of people Christmas is a time to slow down, but this quite often isn’t the case for colleagues working in healthcare, social care and the police. In fact, it can often be one of the busiest and most challenging times of the year.
We want to remind colleagues across Devon that we are here to help if you are struggling this festive period. We can support you with a whole range of issues, including managing stress, financial worries, relationship issues or any other concerns you’re facing with your wellbeing. We can also support your team through wellbeing workshops or reflective practice, giving you and your colleagues the opportunity to think about your collective wellbeing.
Jody Merelle, a Psychotherapist at the Hub, said: “Christmas is a time which can stir up a lot of emotions in people. Many will be looking forward to it with excitement but I have had several conversations recently with people who are worried about how they will feel. This might be because of difficult memories associated with Christmas, complicated family dynamics, a change in circumstances or facing the prospect of being alone. However you are feeling, know that you are not alone. By you reaching out for support, we can help you process your thoughts and find ways of coping through an often complicated time.
“We would like to wish you a peaceful festive period and look forward to supporting those who need it in whatever way we can.”
Get in touch
If you work in healthcare, social care or the police in Devon, you can contact the Devon Wellbeing Hub for free, confidential support. Please get in touch by emailing dpt.devonwellbeing@nhs.net or by calling 0300 303 5455. You can also fill out the simple referral form on the Devon Wellbeing Hub website.
Good news story – West Heanton Care Home wins Caring UK Award
West Heanton Care Home in North Devon won the Outdoor Environment category at the Caring UK Awards.
“This award is aimed at care homes with outstanding outdoor facilities that engage residents. Whether you’ve created a sensory garden or a space for older people to enjoy the great outdoors, this award is ideal for you. We'll need to see evidence of residents enjoying the facilities, and hear about what differences your outside space is making to their life.”
The awards, organised by Script Events and leading industry publication Caring UK, with support from headline sponsor Virgin Money, are now in their sixth year and recognise excellence and achievement in all corners of the industry.
The winning home was chosen by an expert panel which included Marie Curie associate director Matt Williams and DUET Diabetes Limited founder Lynne Reedman, who decided the winners in each category from a shortlist of up to eight.
Caring UK Awards director Dominic Musgrave said: "This year’s winners should be very very proud – the high standard of entries made it a tough job to select a final shortlist never mind a winner and runner-up in each category.
“Our awards’ night was a great celebration of the care industry as a whole and it was great to see so many businesses represented at the event. It was a wonderful evening and it was lovely to share in the celebrations of the winners.
For further information visit: https://www.westheanton.co.uk/
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