Council is looking after older people better than ever before, says report

Herefordshire Council’s cabinet welcomed the news last week (18 December) that older and more vulnerable people are being looked after better than ever before, according to the latest independent assessment of social care services.

Councillors heard a presentation by Wendy Fabbro, associate director of integrated commissioning for the council and the primary care trust, that adult social care is ‘performing well’ according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is the independent regulator of health and social care in the England.

The council consistently delivers services above minimum requirements and this year the commission has reported that Herefordshire has moved up a level from ‘performing adequately’ to ‘performing well’.

The council works closely with its partner, NHS Herefordshire, which is the leader for health in the county, and has improved strongly the quality of life, health and wellbeing of users of social care services and carers, against more stringent government testing for social care.

The council is helping larger numbers of older people to live independently at home, including people with a learning disability, and is boosting awareness and training to help them avoid falls, and so hospital admissions have reduced. People are checked on more often, particularly at night, and the success of electronic monitoring services is also exceeding targets.

Many more people are provided with adaptations to help them live at home and waiting times for this service are much shorter. The number of delayed hospital discharges of older people is very low, although the council needs to continue actions within its new integrated structure with the primary care trust to ensure this number is reduced.

Nearly 250 additional extra care places have been provided this year, including Rose Gardens, in Hereford, a partnership scheme of 91 affordable apartments with on-site social care and leisure facilities.

An innovative village warden scheme has been rolled out across the county, supporting people in remote areas to remain independent.

The council contributes to the funding of the voluntary sector (there are over 1500 voluntary and community organisations in the county and it is estimated that 18 per cent of the local population volunteer). Carers are supported to take part in community life through the carers’ hub, newsletters and specific events for carers.

There is a well-established ‘signposting’ service where local public services alert other services if they feel a vulnerable person needs extra help. Actions have been taken to strengthen and monitor protection for people who use services and their carers from all forms of abuse.

The council is ‘personalising’ services and has increased the number of people who receive a direct payment and use that to purchase the care they need.

There is a range of schemes and services that provide information and advice to help users and carers to understand and manage their income and meet their costs. For example, there is a ‘gold ticket’ fast track benefits scheme that guarantees applications will be processed within two working days.
 
The council and the primary care trust has improved health and wellbeing, providing a wide range of information and advice to promote a healthy lifestyle, including a magazine delivered to peoples’ homes, coffee mornings that offer free health checks and initiatives to manage long term conditions.

Services and results for people who misuse alcohol are better, and hospital admissions for alcohol related harm have been cut, and there are more drug users receiving effective treatment.

A range of employment opportunities is available for people with learning disabilities, including social enterprise schemes. Training courses and workshops for carers have been developed with partners, and the council plans to improve information and support for employment amongst carers by including information in the carers’ newsletters and on the website.

Chris Bull, chief executive of Herefordshire Council and NHS Herefordshire, said: “The unique and innovative partnership we have between health and social care means we are able to make progress on joining services up to help older people live independently at home with dignity, while having the confidence that the care and support they need is there for them. People in our county live longer than average and we have to ensure that we are delivering on our commitment to add life to years, as well as years to life”.