Additional funds have been given to West Midlands councils responsible for adult social care to help them deliver more efficient services.
The Department of Health Care Services Efficiency Delivery Programme (CSED) has allocated £129,000 to the region to increase the range and use of homecare reablement services.
The CSED programme helps local authorities find ways of improving the quality and delivery of care for vulnerable adults through better ways of working, seeking value for money and sharing best practice.
Performance figures for 2008/09 show councils are struggling to find more efficiencies as resources are squeezed and demand for services continues to rise.
In response the CSED has set aside more resources nationally to keep the efficiency drive on track.
Adult social care directors in the region have agreed to use the West Midlands share of resources collaboratively. It will be used to pay for employing one or two specialists from the CSED to work with local authorities on developing early intervention schemes such as homecare reablement services.
Pilot projects across the country show short intensive periods of reablement help service users to live independent lives without any social care support for at least two years, with little support needed thereafter.
Despite this local authorities find it difficult to mainstream these services and provide them on a wide scale basis.
To support development of reablement services in the region and find further efficiencies this financial year, CSED specialists will baseline all 14 authorities to get a clearer picture of what they are doing. Intensive work will begin with more advanced councils so they can be used as models of best practice for the remaining authorities.
For more information contact CSED Implementation Manager Stephen Rea, on 07920-450260, email: stephen.rea@dh.gsi.gov.uk
See Reablement works in Solihull and Stay at home in Stoke-on-Trent stories for examples of reablement services.
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