Adult Social Care Strategy Delivery Plan 2016 - 2020

Nationally,over the last few years social care budgets have reduced by 26% in real terms. To continue to deliver the same level of support means we must adopt new ways of working. In Medway, the council has continued to prioritise social care and is investing additional resources to meet the increased demands; however, it faces a significant financial challenge as the complexity of need increases within specific populations, such as people with disabilities or dementia.

In response to the Care Act (2014), which is the single biggest change to social care legislation in decades, Medway Council is working to give people more choice and control over the support they receive from adult social care. We want to empower and enable people to choose support tailored to their individual needs, by placing them at the centre of how they receive that support. We are keen to find out what you think about our plans to help make adult social care better in the future.

What follows are a series of questions that have been based on the chapters as they apear in the Adult Social Care Strategy.  We are very interested in new ideas and would encourage you to give your opinions on what is being proposed and for you to make suggestions.

Q1 Have you experienced Medway Social Care and Support services in the last 12 months?
 
PREVENTION (Page 8 to 12 in Adult Social Care Strategy)
Preventing the need for care and support has been a key element in Government policy for many years. This is critical to our vision in ensuring that the Medway care and support system works to actively promote wellbeing and independence, and does not just wait to respond when people reach a crisis point. To meet the challenges of the future, it will be vital that we intervene early to support individuals; help people retain or regain their skills and confidence, and prevent or delays deterioration wherever possible.
In order to help individuals to remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible, it will be essential to provide information and advice to help people to make decisions and choices that support this outcome. Information and advice will need to be provided in a range of ways, recognising that in order for individuals to be able to look after themselves and each other, it is essential that they have access to the right help at the right time.
Q2 Do you feel the listed actions for prevention will make a difference for adult social care?
Q3
Q4 Is there anything else that we need to be doing in terms of reducing and preventing the need for adult social care support?
 
PARTICIPATION & PARTNERSHIP (Page 13 in Adult Social Care Strategy)
The change that is set out in this strategy can only be delivered through a range of strong partnerships that will ensure the participation of service users, carers and key organisations. We will work in partnership with people who receive care and support to ensure that they have choice and control over the options available to them.
We will work in partnership with carers to ensure that they receive recognition and support to enable them to fulfil their central role in caring, whilst maintaining their wellbeing and lifestyle.  We will not only work with individuals, but also with groups that represent the interests of specific individuals to improve the outcomes in specified areas.
Q5 Do you feel the listed actions for participation & partnership will make a difference for adult social care?
Q6
Q7 Is there anything else that we need to be doing in terms of improving participation & partnership?
 
PERSONALISATION (Page 14 to 15 in Adult Social Care Strategy)
In order to maximise every person's independence, choice and control over their lives, we will seek to provide information, advice and support at the earliest stages of need, so that we focus on enabling individuals to maintain optimum levels of independence in their own homes and communities. We will seek to help people develop strength and resilience by working with individuals in need of care and support to ensure that they have access to a network of strong relationships. This will involve engagement with those requiring support, their carers, wider family networks and peer networks from communities of shared interest.
We will ensure that every individual who receives care and support in Medway will experience this in a way that promotes and protects their dignity and allows them to feel respected and valued.
Q8 Do you feel the listed actions for personalisation will make a difference for adult social care?
Q9
Q10 Is there anything else that we need to be doing in terms of personalisation?
 
INTEGRATION (Page 15 to 16 in Adult Social Care Strategy)
Social care acts for citizens in Medway as a vital ‘connector’ to other public services, especially health care, but also to housing, welfare benefits, leisure and recreation, education providers and other organisations which support people to remain in their own home and play an active part in their community. Our needs as a population are changing, with a greater focus on chronic illness. There is a clear requirement for care support to be well ‘joined up’ so that an individual has a clear plan supported by all the agencies working well together.
In order to achieve this we will need to maintain and strengthen our arrangements for working with a range of health service professionals and voluntary sector organisations. We will need to work closely with GPs and care providers in community and hospital based settings, and specialist providers of health care in areas such as mental health and learning disability. We will align and strengthen what we do, so that the help people receive is well co-ordinated across the whole system, and will need to ensure that we share information in a way that ensures citizens receive the best possible experience of care wherever they are.
Q11 Do you feel the listed actions for Integration will make a difference for adult social care?
Q12
Q13 Is there anything else that we need to be doing in terms of Integration?
 
INNOVATION (Page 17 in Adult Social Care Strategy)
In order to deliver the transformation of care it will be important to draw on the evidence of what works best. We will use the messages from research and engage with organisations such as Research in Practice for Adults [RiPfA ], the Social Care Institute for Excellence [SCIE], and Think Local Act Personal [TLAP] to ensure that we are drawing on this evidence and incorporating it in to our ways of working.
There have been tremendous advances in technology which can support the safety and welfare of individuals living in their own home or in specialist accommodation. If we are going to get the best care and support for people living in Medway we will need to make sure that we make use of the opportunities that Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS) provide. The evidence shows that in areas where TECS are operating effectively this contributes to fewer falls, fewer admissions to hospital, as well as fewer and delayed admissions to nursing and residential homes.
Q14 Do you feel the listed actions for Innovation will make a difference for adult social care?
Q15
Q16 Is there anything else that we need to be doing in terms of Innovation?
 
SAFEGUARDING (Page 18 in Adult Social Care Strategy)
“Safeguarding means protecting an adults right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the time making sure that the adults wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action.” Care Act (2014).
We will work with vulnerable adults to ensure that they are protected from abuse, neglect or exploitation, and ensure their views inform any action taken as much as possible. We will ensure that the people who seek our help to feel safe and obtain care and support are offered this in a way which gives them their independence, choice and control over the key decisions in their lives, and is in their best interests.
Q17 Do you feel the listed actions for safeguarding will make a difference for adult social care?
Q18
Q19 Is there anything else that we need to be doing in terms of safeguarding?
 

OVERALL

Q20 Is our draft 'Adult Social Care Strategy 2016-2020' clear on what we want to achieve?
 

ABOUT YOU

Q21 Do you currently:
  Yes   No  
  Receive care in your home    

  Attend day care support    
Q22 Which of the following best describes you? (Please tick all that apply)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Q23 Gender:
 
 
 
 
Q24 Age:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Q25 Ethnicity:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Q26 Disability:
 
 

THANK YOU

 
   
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