Good news on the home care front
A new ‘reablement’ service is being introduced to help older people who have been ill or hospitalised, or are struggling to cope, to regain the skills and confidence they need to continue living independently in their own homes.
The service will initially be offered to new home care customers for up to six
weeks. Reablement will be phased in gradually over the coming months and eventually rolled out countywide.
The service will be provided by specialist teams of supervisors, home carers and occupational therapists who will help people to manage daily tasks - like washing, dressing, cooking, shopping and generally getting about - for themselves.
Customers will also be advised on safety issues - to reduce the risk of falls or other accidents. Evidence from other local authorities operating similar services shows people who receive reablement often need less ongoing care and support, and sometimes none at all.
Research also shows that people who remain independent tend to do better, in terms of general health and wellbeing, for longer.
Graeme Betts, Warwickshire County Council’s Strategic Director of Adult, Health and Community Services, said: “Reablement is a win-win service. It will give more older citizens what they want - to be able to stay in their own homes, living as independently and safely as possible.
"And because people will generally need less ongoing home care as a result, reablement will help stretch the budget further - an important consideration when we have a rapidly ageing population in tough economic times.”
Dr Betts said referrals for home care services had increased by nearly 400 (20%) last year (2008-2009). Forecasts for the next 20 years predict Warwickshire will see an above-average increase in the number of older people with care needs (67%), with the highest growth in the number of people with dementia (89%).
“Estimates suggest that investing in skilled teams and offering individually-tailored reablement services to all new home care customers could save £2m or more each year,” said Dr Betts.
The reablement service is part of a package of good news items being reported to Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet on November 26: Home care quality standards and monitoring procedures are being reviewed.
Improvements under consideration include electronic visit recording, a quality monitoring ‘workbook’, an urgent complaints process, updated terms and conditions for external providers, emergency and continuity contingency plans, and tighter requirements on training.
A new Warwickshire Home Care Charter, with agreed principles and standards of service, is nearing completion. The elements of the charter have emerged from discussions with home care customers, staff, unions and service providers.
Following a successful pilot project in and around Stratford, a second home care service for people with dementia will be trialed in the Nuneaton and Bedworth area. The specialised in-house service takes a more holistic approach to home care, focusing less on daily tasks and more on the person’s overall wellbeing.
New jobs in reablement and dementia home care, along with an effective redeployment programme, have enabled AHCS to transform the county’s in-house home care service, at a saving of around £1.4m, without any redundancies. The savings equate to more than £1.77m in a full year. Cabinet will be asked to endorse these measures on November 26.