The care and support that adults receive from Calderdale Council has been praised in a recent independent review.
The Council invited a team of experts from other local authorities to visit the Adult Services and Wellbeing department in October 2024.
The team spent about 220 hours with the Council and talked to over 150 people, including staff, partner organisations and people who draw on care and support.
The ‘Adult Social Care Preparation for Assurance Peer Challenge’ was led by the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, and will be discussed at the Council’s Adults, Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board on Thursday 16 January at 6pm.
The aim of the Peer Challenge was to look at current achievements, areas for development and capacity to change. It focused on how the Council works with people, how it ensures safety within the care and support system, and its leadership, improvement and innovation.
The reviewers concluded that: “There is a real sense that every person matters in Calderdale, with a commitment to quality of provision and getting the best outcomes for people.”
Cllr Diana Tremayne, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Wellbeing, said:
“Reducing inequalities and supporting adults to live the healthiest, most independent and fulfilling life is hugely important to us. We are proud of the work that our teams do to support people with the highest needs, but also their focus on prevention and early support to ensure people can stay active at the heart of their community for as long as possible.
“It was great to get independent recognition of all this hard work in the Peer Challenge, and we will be taking forward the learning from the process to make improvements and build on the strengths identified.”
The Peer Challenge team reported that any safeguarding concerns are dealt with robustly and in a timely way, and that people are kept safe when leaving after a stay in hospital: “The Reablement and Intermediate Care Teams (including Heatherstones Court in Halifax) are providing good outcomes for people and achieving high levels of independence.” Response times for hospital discharges have improved from five days to within 24 hours.
This supports the Council’s priority to ensure people can remain independent, with support where needed, at the heart of their community for as long as possible.
The reviewers highlighted that: “Teams are working hard and there is a passion and commitment to go the extra mile to keep people safe across Calderdale…[and they have] skills, confidence and commitment to maximise people’s independence.”
They praised the strong link between the Council’s main vision / priorities and the work of Adult Services and Wellbeing, with strong leadership and a cross-Council commitment to this department.
One of the Council’s priorities is to reduce inequalities, and this comes to life through the department’s good work to reduce barriers to care and support. For example, in line with the ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, the Council and its partner organisations are taking steps to ensure that people’s religious and cultural needs are always taken into account. The Peer Challenge report also highlighted good examples of using translation and interpretation services, with evidence of developments to make the website and paperwork easier to use and understand for everyone.
When assessing people’s care needs, focus is given to “what matters to the person and ensuring all aspects of the person’s life are considered in the assessment. This includes physical activity and equality, diversity and inclusion.” Everyone involved in assessments is guided by the ‘strengths-based model’ which puts the person first and gives them the opportunity to shape adult social care and support through co-production.
Better Lives Hubs are seen as a valuable resource enabling people to get advice and support in their community, which reduces the need for them to wait for an assessment and / or supports them to be well while they wait. There is now a greater focus on reducing waiting lists, with a decrease in backlogs in occupational therapy, financial assessment and personalised long-term support.
Staff told the Peer Challenge team that: “When any of us talk about Better Lives we smile because what we do is so rewarding.”
There is also a strong focus on preventing people from needing care and support for as long as possible, so people can lead the ‘larger life’ that the Vision for Calderdale aspires to. For example, there are good links with the voluntary and community sector whereby people are encouraged to become more active or less isolated by joining community activities.
The Peer Challenge also suggested areas for development, including:
- Improving discharge from hospital into care homes to ensure people have the right level of support and information.
- Greater use of digital and assistive technology to support people to live more independently.
- More consistency in the provision of translated and easy-to-read information.
Watch the Council’s Adults, Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board meeting online on Thursday 16 January from 6pm at https://calderdale.public-i.tv/core/portal/home(external link)
The transition to the new Vision 2034 for Calderdale is beginning, encouraging local communities to be bold and ambitious about what we can do next to make Calderdale a better place for all.