Valueadding.com has worked extensively in a number of Social Care related environments in Local Authorities and PCTs across the UK. Our experience has highlighted some common themes which, from discussions with other Local Authorities, we believe have relevance to the wider Social Care community.

Social Care teams face an array of internal and external challenges which stem from the need to “serve two masters” – rising numbers of service users who have the right to expect easily accessible and seamlessly delivered support; and a changing regulatory environment that demands demonstrable efficiency improvements whilst adhering to statutory performance targets. As a result we’ve often come across a range of “typical” symptoms:

• Not enough staff to undertake the work required

• Increasing demand on the service through more clients and budget pressures

• The rationing of service provision

• Social Workers not doing social work but “paperwork” or “administration”

• Low staff morale and difficulty recruiting and retaining staff

• Duplication of records and information

• Implementing the personalisation of care

• Difficulties managing change because of being bogged down in existing processes

These symptoms and challenges are present in an ever changing environment. The Government have recently announced a fundamental review of the FACS criteria following the publication of the annual State of Social Care Report last month. The Chief Inspector of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) recently described accessing social care support as being like the National Lottery – you have to be in it to win it. Three quarters of councils are expected to set the entry point level at “substantial” in the current year. The replacement of CPA with CAA (Comprehensive Area Assessment) will see CSCI being replaced by a new Care Quality Commission from April 2009 bringing with it a new health and adult social care performance framework.

At ValueAdding.com Ltd we’ve helped our clients develop radical new processes and ways of working that address the root-causes of the symptoms we’ve described, leading for example to increased net capacities and greatly increased speed. To do so we’ve successfully challenged deeply entrenched assumptions about roles, responsibilities and the ability to simplify bureaucracy whilst still complying with statutory requirements.

To see how ValueAdding.com worked with our clients to alleviate some of the above symptoms click here.

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