Putting innovation into care

A new service established by the Community Housing Group is showing that lean doesn’t equate to mean. Support24 is a care package that doesn’t compromise when it comes to innovation or the provision of quality

The Community Housing Group (CHG), based in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, is always looking for innovative ways to provide a value for money service, but without compromising on quality or care.

As a Business Excellence winner the group is used to adopting business models to bring about improvements, so when the organisation came to review its care and support service, it was considered a logical step to use LEAN principles.

“LEAN helps an organisation to examine current structures and ways of working to identify areas of waste – such as time, resources, staffing and money. By stripping the service ‘back to basics’ and really understanding customer requirements, improvements and efficiencies can be successfully achieved,” said Marina Banner, group director of corporate services, who also serves as Midlands Excellence’s ambassador of excellence.

Support24 is a new service that has come out of CHG’s review of its visiting service to older and vulnerable clients and in response to changes within the Supporting People framework.

Previously, the organisation’s visiting service was linked to the property type and meant that customers received the same type of support regardless of their circumstances or needs.

A team of assessment officers visited all 2,500 sheltered housing tenants and asked for their views on the type of service they wanted. The team produced an explanation DVD featuring their own staff and customers to help anyone who had difficulties with literacy or reading printed materials. This was given to each sheltered housing tenant as well as being shown at special coffee mornings. The DVD can be seen on Support24’s website.

The new Support24 service has been designed to be responsive, flexible and offer customers a wider range of support which compliments Supporting People outcomes.

David Hanman, head of community services said: “Support24 is designed to empower customers to take control of their care and support. We firmly believe in helping customers to live independently in their homes for as long as they want or are able to do so and Support24 makes this possible.”

Under the new service, customers now have a unique support plan which details the level of support needed, right down to the preferred time and days of visits. If circumstances or their health changes and more support is needed, the support plan can be quickly adjusted for as long as it is required. The 40-strong team of support workers has embraced the changes required to deliver the service.

“We are very proud of the commitment and professionalism of our teams,” Hanman added. “They are accredited through the Centre for Housing & Support (CHS) and regularly take part in training and refresher courses to maintain high skill levels. Many have achieved the NVQ standard for Health & Social Care and we are always happy to encourage other forms of personal development. Some of our support workers are now qualified extend exercise instructors and provide classes which promote both fitness and social interaction.”

The service is available to anyone in the wider community and support workers offer a range of services to assist the customer, without taking control. These cover:

Household finances: • as part of the group’s financial inclusion strategy, the support workers help customers to manage their bills by setting up direct debits or establishing regular payment plans with suppliers. This service has helped to remove worry and stress from many customers who are unfamiliar with banks or dealing with bills and demands for payment.

• Checking benefit entitlement: support workers are happy to help customers to complete paperwork or help them to check pensions and other benefits to ensure they are receiving the correct entitlements.

• Preventing social isolation: an important part of the service is providing customers with information about events and activities in their community and helping them to participate at a level they are comfortable with. The support workers offer practical advice about how to get to the events and encourage customers to be independently mobile.

• Taking time to listen: the new S upport24 support plans are designed to give support workers and customers time to talk. This important part of the visit gives the support worker a chance to check that the customer’s needs and requirements have not changed, and to be aware of any changes in their physical, mental or emotional well-being.

When it comes to the “hidden” benefits of Support24, CHG says studies have shown that early intervention and modest levels of investment can bring considerable savings for care providers in the future.

By encouraging independence and supporting lifestyle choices with practical help, customers can live safely in their own home for longer. This can help to promote physical and emotional well being and reduce the need for long stays in hospital or other care homes and establishments.

This is also a welcome and less expensive alternative for families who may be required to meet the cost of care for their parent or relative in the private sector.