Nearly £1/2 million saved by Electronic Care Monitoring

Savings of over £450,000 have been made by Wolverhampton City Council with the introduction of Electronic Care Monitoring in domiciliary care, three months ahead of schedule.

Using the services of social enterprise, The Community Gateway CIC, the council has introduced the monitoring system to transform the way it manages domiciliary care, and to improve the performance of the service providers as well as the experience of service users

Electronic monitoring allows council offices to:

• safeguard clients and staff by flagging up missed visits or late arrival of carers
• charge individuals who make payments towards the cost of their care more accuratel
• ensure consistency of care
• measure accurately the care delivered to make sure it accurately reflects what is stipulated in the care plan
• establish the whereabouts of staff in an emergency
• predict needs and resources more accurately
• collaborate more closely with care providers

Community Gateway CIC was used to help Wolverhampton Council implement the system ahead of schedule by providing a detailed project plan covering all aspects of the scheme from tendering to going live.

Contact:  info@thecommunitygateway.co.uk, telephone: 0844 736 5718.

Supporting the PA market

A framework for supporting the development of personal assistants (PAs) and their employers has been produced by DH. 

Working for personalised care: A framework for supporting personal assistants working in adult social care, examines the roles of national and local government, communities and individuals. It identifies potential obstacles and barriers and provides good practice examples for overcoming them.

The framework sets out a strategy to accelerate and support growth in PA employment as part of the drive to personalise adult social care. It provides an outline for a delivery plan which will be developed over the coming months.

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Direct payments boost PA jobs

The number of jobs in the adult social care sector has surged due primarily to an increase in the number of personal assistants working for people in receipt of direct payments. 

Figures released by Skills for Care show jobs increased by 7% to 1.77 million between 2009 and 2010.

The data also shows approximately 154,000 adults and older people were receiving direct payments from council social services departments in 2010, and the total number of direct payment recipients increased by 35% between March 2009 and 2010.

Full findings can be found in the Skills for Care report The Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2011.

Analysis is based on data provided by employers to the National Minimum Dataset for Social Care, providing commissioners and employers with information needed to help them meet some of the key challenges set out in the government’s vision for social care.

Report

Bringing down the cost of public services

Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM) has launched its latest film Bringing down the Bill: Improving Efficiency in the West Midlands. 

The film demonstrates how IEWM is working with local authorities and their partners to help bring down the costs of local public services, and can be viewed on the IEWM website.  

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Services for Later Life 2011

Age UK is holding its first ever conference dedicated to promoting excellence in older people’s services on Wednesday 13 July 2011, at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London.


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Information service for prospective enterpreneurs

The Mutuals Information Service has been set up as a sign posting facility for public sector staff wanting to set up a social or mutual enterprise.

The service provides information on the range of business models available and their suitability for delivering services individuals may want to provide. It also puts staff in touch with organisations that offer help with business planning, HR and legal advice, finance and investment, marketing and market research.

The service is free and can be contacted on 020 7296 6705, or visit www.local.gov.uk/mutuals

Improvement, Change and Innovation – transforming your workplace to achieve all three

Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM) will be holding its third annual spring conference on Monday 7 March 2011, at Maple House in Birmingham from 9.30am to 4pm.

Focus will be on improvement, change and innovation; reflecting current practical advice, guidance and examples of what councils can do to save money, transform services and change the way the public sector operates.

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Modernisation of Commissioning moves one step closer

Government plans for transforming public sector commissioning are outlined in its Green Paper Modernising Commissioning: Increasing the role of charities, social enterprises, mutual and cooperatives in public service delivery.

Two key reasons lie behind plans to increase involvement of civil society organisations in delivery of public services; the first is to shift power from central government to local communities.

The aim is to change commissioning practices, to encourage greater involvement of people and communities in providing services that were the domain of the state.

Second, is to improve quality and efficiency of services by removing unnecessary duplication and equipping commissioners with good quality information needed to make informed decisions.

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said:

“Public services must make better use of tax-payer’s money. We need smarter commissioning processes that take into account the social and environmental impact of organisations awarded contracts.

"Good performance in these areas can take pressure off other public services and so create efficiencies across the board.”

Deadline for comments on the Green Paper was 5 January 2011. Conclusions from consultation on the paper will be included in a wider Public Service Reform White Paper to be published early this year.

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Mobilising Community Capital - Transforming Adult Social Care (TASC) Summit

The next TASC summit will take place on Thursday 3 February 2011, at mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham.

Focus will be on mobilising community capital as part of the JIP’s market shaping programme.
The social care sector wide agreement launched in November 2010, recognises there has to be an adequate supply and good choice of quality provision for personalisation to succeed, and for service users to have full control over their care and support.

This one day event will demonstrate how practices and the relationship between commissioners and social care providers can be changed, to increase the range and number of business providing services.

Presenters from a variety of voluntary, independent and public sector organisations will facilitate workshops to share their perspective on what has worked for them.

And with up to nine places per local authority area allocated to representatives from across the sectors, time has been set aside for area representatives to work together to begin to plan their market shaping interventions.

The next JIP e-Bulletin will include a report on the workshop and next steps.

Contact: Paul Johnston, Telephone: 01670 528438 or 07847 318 672, email: paul.johnston@impactchange.co.uk

Embracing social enterprise in social care

Social enterprise has received the thumbs up from government in its vision for the future of adult social care.

Published in November 2010, 'A Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens’, sets a new agenda for adult social care in England.

Emphasis is on making services more personalised, preventative and focused on delivering the best results for people who use them.

Pointing to personal budgets as a catalyst for change, whereby people will be in charge of purchasing their own care, the government wants to see a more diverse range of organisations, including social enterprises, providing services.

Local authorities have been given responsibility for shaping and stimulating a social care market in which new service providers can do business.

As part of the market shaping process, councils and their NHS partners have been told to move away from using block contracts to commission services, to increase the use of personal budgets, including direct payments, and to support the growth of a market in services that people want.

Government is considering how to deal with barriers, in particular to social enterprise, that prevent a dynamic and varied market.

The purpose is to create an even playing field for providers, especially small set-ups that struggle with formal tendering processes, but can offer specialist and valuable solutions.

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Impact of funding squeeze on social care

A discussion paper called "The impact of a tightening fiscal situation on social care for older people" has been published by the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU

The main purpose of the paper is to assess the effects of reduction in funding for care, in a climate of fiscal constraints and likely cuts to social care funding.
See  www.pssru.ac.uk

PPF talks lead to concrete recommendations

A series of recommendations have been made following completion of a project examining how local authorities might meet growing needs and demands resulting from personalisation of social care services.

Managed by consultancy Mobius UK, and jointly funded by Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM), and Department of Health West Midlands, the Putting People First (PPF) dialogue project brought together service commissioners and providers to:

• improve understanding of each others’ needs
• understand the implications for commissioning
• identify potential opportunities for providers
• influence and shape the emerging personalisation markets.

Dialogue between the two parties has led to a number of recommendations including:

• development of a formal partnership with providers that will lead to a strategic approach to market shaping across the region.
• explore opportunities for specific regional initiatives such as standardised approaches to tenders and contracts
• convene on a regular basis a social care dialogue group that more widely reflects the region
• carry out more diverse stakeholder engagement that includes for example, health, housing and the third sector
• consider similar dialogue at a more localised level to include more local people.

Contact: Rob Williams, email: rob@mobiusuk.org, mobile: 07740 704490.

Excellence award for Care Funding Calculator

The Care Funding Calculator, a tool used by councils and PCTs to manage the cost of buying adult care placements, has won the prestigious ‘Excellence in Commissioning’ award at the West Midlands Health and Social Care Awards.

Funded by Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands, the calculator has now been shortlisted for the final round of the national Health and Social Care Awards taking place in November.

The tool has so far delivered £3.84 million in efficiencies across the region by securing more competitive costs for residential care and supported living for adults with learning disabilities.

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Commissioning initiative helps stroke care and prevention

The Joint Commissioning Unit (JCU) in Staffordshire is leading on a number of successful community based preventative services for potential stroke victims, and rehabilitation services for stroke survivors.

Working with the Stroke Association, South Staffordshire PCT, South Staffordshire practice based commissioners and the local Stroke Network, the partnership’s work is recognised nationally and regionally as best practice in helping stroke survivors to rebuild their lives.

Backed by three year government funding until 2011, their work consists of:

• Primary Prevention Service – increasing the service in South Staffordshire to provide information, blood pressure checks and lifestyle advice. An estimate of 3,000 people per year will be reached


• FAST (Face Arm Speech Take action) training – aimed at front line staff working in general practice to increase their understanding of what a stoke is, how to identify it, and the need for it to be treated as a medical emergency


• Communication Plus – providing a new model of support for individuals with communication disability, the scheme puts greater emphasis on supporting people to resume day to day tasks such as shopping and leisure activities


• Back to Life courses – a rolling programme of courses for stroke survivors and their carers, focusing on need. This may include coping with the psychological impact; understanding what a stroke is, and reducing risk; medicine compliance; getting back to work and relationships; and financial issues. The service aims to work with 200 survivors each year.


• Long Term Support Service – a two year project to support survivors and carers by setting up activity groups that will become self supporting by the end of the funding period.


• Workforce Planning – the JCU has commissioned ten days’ training to be provided by the Stroke Association to improve the skills of 200 care staff in residential and nursing homes.

Contact: Vanessa Pugh, County Commissioner (Long Term Conditions), Joint Commissioning Unit, telephone: 01785 854603 or 07815 167447.

Joint commissioning improves housing support services

Wolverhampton City Council, Birmingham City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and Walsall Council, have joined together to commission services for adults with complex needs and chaotic lifestyles.

The four authorities have set up the Birmingham and Black Country Cross Authority Project (BBCCAP), and successfully commissioned a cross-authority housing support service for serially excluded adults.

The service aims to help vulnerable adults live independently and:

• acts as a preventative measure by helping service users avoid, for example, homelessness, entry into institutional care or clinical services, and the risk of re-offending


• reconnects service users to their own local authority area, re-establishing and maintaining their social and support networks


• ensures support services are delivered in response to individual needs, working with them to achieve independent living


• helps service users access preventative services and establish social links within the wider community.
  

To ensure the project’s success, the authorities developed a partnership agreement setting out the roles and responsibilities of each of the bodies involved and action to be taken if, for example, one of the authorities pulled out.

Provision of a seamless service is dependent on effective links between mental health, substance misuse and probation services across each of the four areas.

Top tips for efficiency free of charge

Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM) has produced its top ten tips for achieving efficiency savings in council services.

The guide gives tips on how local authorities can access support from IEWM to secure real efficiency savings, helping them to manage their budgets and free up resources to reinvest in local services.

Andy Hancox, Director of IEWM, said: “This guide demonstrates how we have already supported over £40m of efficiency savings since April 2008 through our work on eAuctions, collaborative procurement, asset management, transformation and the improved commissioning of children’s and adults services.”

The publication is available free of charge.

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RIEPS harness millions in local government savings

Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) have helped local authorities to deliver £321 million of efficiencies over the past two years, and will deliver up to £950 million savings by March 2011.

RIEPs were set up in April 2008 to assist councils and their partners in delivering better services by supporting their efforts to become more efficient, innovative and engaged with communities.

The Joint Improvement Partnership (JIP) is the adult social care wing of Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM), the RIEP for the West Midlands region.

A summary of the collective achievements of the nine RIEPs in England can be found in RIEPs: A summary of key achievements – two years on.

Their priorities in 2010/11 include:

• a stronger focus on joint working between the RIEPs


• increasing support for collaborative and innovative procurement


• developing a more joined up approach to improvement and efficiency in local areas.

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Care funding calculator continues to make savings

Adult care services in the region are on target to deliver efficiency gains of over £2.8 million through use of the Care Funding Calculator.

The free Excel based calculator creates greater transparency in pricing and provides more information for negotiating the price of residential and supported living.

Data includes price details of staffing, hotel places, overheads and other costs. The calculator gives care purchasers an indicative price for each element of their client’s care plan. The estimated cost is then used to negotiate a fair price with the supplier for the care package.

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eAuctions save millions

Savings secured via the West Midlands eAuction programme total £20 million with some local authorities making a return on their investment of 70:1.

The eAuctions take place on line. Potential suppliers compete in real time by providing prices for goods and services under procurement, including home to school transport, ICT, office furniture and cleaning products.

This form of buying and pricing is a major strand of Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM) smarter procurement programme.

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Savings through smart procurement

The West Midlands Procurement Hub is currently delivering savings of £3 million per year to local authorities in the region.

Set up by Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM), the hub is an information sharing tool for procurement officers in the region’s 33 councils.

It gives them access to:

• a contracts database consisting of ‘live’ contractual arrangements that can be used immediately


• Collaboration Corner – an online matching service to find possible collaborative partners


• The Procurement Library holding a selection of standard documents and guidance


• an events and training calendar offering online registration to events


• The Society of Procurement Officers (SOPO) forum, to which procurement questions can be posted and answered


• Suppliers Corner where current tendering opportunities in the region’s councils are displayed.

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