Making it Real in Cambridgeshire. Action Plan Review. June July

Transcription

1 Making it Real in Cambridgeshire Action Plan Review June July

2 Contents Introduction 1 What is Making it Real? 2 Themes 3 I statements 3 What Cambridgeshire did 4 Who we consulted with 4 What the consultation said 5 Three priorities in the Action Plan 6 The Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan April Summary of Action Plan progress 10 You said, we did 11 Key recommendations from the review 14 Introduction Cambridgeshire County Council, in common with all public sector bodies, is facing a significant reduction in its budgets over the next five years which, combined with the needs of an ageing population, presents a huge challenge. Despite these challenging circumstances, the Council is committed to putting individuals, carers and their families at the heart of our decisions and design of our services. As funding levels are reduced it is more important than ever to ensure that we are spending every penny in a way that makes the most difference to the people of Cambridgeshire. The Council knows that working together with the people who use its services is the best way to make sure that local people s needs are met and will also make the best use of the resources available. One of the ways that the Council is able to do this is by using approaches such as Making it Real. Next steps 16 1.

3 What is Making it Real? Think Local, Act Personal (TLAP) is a national initiative which was set up to change adult social care, for the better, through personalisation and community-based support. Over 30 national organisations worked together to come up with a way of checking how things are going with these changes this framework is called Making it Real. Cambridgeshire County Council is one of 875 organisations signed up to Making it Real (as at August 2015). Making it Real helps the Council to look at how well we are doing with personalisation, it helps us to see which areas need to be better and to come up with plans for action. Cambridgeshire County Council agreed its first Making it Real Action Plan in April The Cambridgeshire Action Plan was created after consultation with people who access services, carers and providers about which Making it Real themes and I statements were most important to them. The top theme was Information and advice and the Action Plan highlighted some key things that people wanted the Council to improve. 2.

4 Making it Real themes Making it Real is built around six key themes. The Making it Real themes are: Information and advice: having the information I need, when I need it. Active and supportive communities: keeping friends, families and place. Flexible integrated care and support: my support my own way. Workforce: my support staff. Risk enablement: feeling in control and safe. Personal budgets and self-funding: my money. Making it Real I statements Making it Real uses a series of I statements. These statements say what people would want to see and experience if personalisation is working really well. For Information and advice these are: I have the information and support I need in order to remain as independent as possible. I have access to easy to understand information about care and support which is consistent, accurate, accessible and up-to-date. I can speak to people who know something about care and support and can make things happen. I have help to make informed choices if I need and want it. I know where to get information about what is going on in my community. 3.

5 What Cambridgeshire did Who we consulted with Between November 2013 and January 2014 Adult Social Care consulted with: The Adult Social Care Forum. The four Adult Social Care Partnership Boards (Learning Disability, Physical Disability & Sensory Impairment, Carers, Older People). The Speak Out Council. The SUN Network (mental health service users). Adult Social Care providers. The general public. The consultation took place at formal meetings, at service user groups, via , through an on-line survey and at one-to-one meetings with service users. The Council asked for their feedback about the Making it Real themes and I statements that were most important to them and for their suggestions for the areas of improvement needed. 4.

6 What the consultation said The top Making it Real theme which all groups asked for action on was: Information and advice. The key ideas put forward by service users, carers and providers for improving information and advice were: Easy to access websites. Information available in accessible formats, such as large print, easy read and different languages (if required). Clear English no jargon. Up-to-date and consistent information. Real people to talk to. From this feedback the Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan was created in April 2014, based on the things people had told us, for how we should improve information and advice. The Action Plan was approved by all the groups who took part in the original consultation and management teams at the Council. 5.

7 Three priorities in the Action Plan The Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan had three priorities: Priority 1 Making sure that the Council s leaflets and factsheets provide up-to-date, relevant and high-quality information. Priority 2 Making sure that people know who they can talk to for information. 1 2 Priority 3 Making sure that people know where to go for information and advice. 3 6.

8 The Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan 7.

9 The Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan 8.

10 The Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan 9.

11 Summary of Action Plan progress In June and July 2015 the Council carried out a review of the Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan. The review included a workshop event and a survey. As information and advice was central to the Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan it was agreed that the review of the plan would be delayed until after the implementation of the Care Act 2014 in April This was because the Care Act required the Council to establish and maintain a service providing information and advice about care and support for adults and for carers and to promote health and wellbeing in order to prevent, reduce or delay people s need for support. 10.

12 You said, we did Priority 1: Making sure that the Council s leaflets and factsheets provide up-to-date, relevant and high-quality information. You said: We did: You want accessible information written in clear English that is: Up-to-date/current. Can be printed on demand. Available in different formats and languages on request. Co-produced with service users and carers. Asked people how they want information: Survey for public, service users and carers to find out what they want. Survey for practitioners and volunteers to find out what they/the people they work with want. Presentation to Adult Social Care Forum. Workshop to discuss needs and learn from good and bad examples. Established a reader panel of service users, carers, members of the public, staff and volunteers from organisations we work with. Established an Accessible Information working group. Replaced suite of out-dated leaflets with: New streamlined set of print-on-demand factsheets. Easy to update. Content/subjects based on responses to survey. Developed an all age online Directory of Services. Part of online information offer. Feedback invited what s missing, what s wrong etc. 11.

13 You said, we did Priority 2: Making sure people know who they can talk to for information. Priority 3: Making sure people know where they can go for information and advice. You said: We did: You want to be able to talk to someone about your concerns. You want to know who you can talk to about information and advice. You want to know where you can go for information and advice. Asked people who they would ask about information and advice. Asked people where they would go for information and advice. Surveyed public, service users and carers to find out who they would ask and where they would go. Surveyed staff and practitioners. Met with organisations and people we work with: Communications and Information Project Board people from the Council, Health, voluntary sector. Meetings with organisations such as Citizen s Advice and other organisations whose main role is providing information and advice. Presentations about information and advice at events where the people and organisations we work with are present e.g. Transforming Lives workshops. All enabling discussions involving health partners and voluntary organisations about how we can work together to provide information and advice. Working with the Library Service to discuss availability of information and advice in libraries and community hubs and how their staff and volunteers can be part of the advice community.. 12.

14 You said, we did Priority 2: Making sure people know who they can talk to for information. Priority 3: Making sure people know where they can go for information and advice. You said: We did: You want to be able to talk to someone about your concerns. You want to know who you can talk to about information and advice. You want to know where you can go for information and advice. New information and advice model and advice community. Information and advice model based on an advice community. Told people and places on this list e.g. Customer Services, GPs and other health contacts, key workers, voluntary organisations, libraries about the information and advice model and what is available and where to direct people. Promoting contact centre phone number and availability of information from libraries and community hubs online, on factsheets, on promotional items including flyers, posters, fridge magnets. Developing an awareness-raising marketing plan. 13.

15 Key recommendations from the review (1) Need for consistent house style for care and support information (font, font size, County Council logo, design). (2) Key contact information on care and support factsheets should be displayed on the top half of the front page. This work will be led by the Council s Accessible Information Working Group. The Adult Social Care Reader Panel, made up of volunteers, will be reviewing the Council s care and support factsheets for accessibility, alternative formats, gaps in information provided, and making recommendations when required. This work will be ongoing. (3) Need to make care and support information more accessible clear language, information in different formats, printed materials not just online, clear process for how to obtain alternative formats (such as British Sign Language). This work will be led by the Council s Accessible Information Working Group. The group will do the following: Produce guidance notes for Council staff on producing accessible documents (for example, ensuring that documents are in clear English). To be completed by 30 November Develop a co-produced accessible information policy for the Council which is in line with the NHS Accessible Information Standard. To be completed by 31 July Act as a critical friend advising the Council on its implementation of the NHS Accessible Information Standard. To be completed by 31 July

16 Key recommendations from the review (4) County Council website accessibility and navigation to be improved. This work will be led by the Council s Accessible Information Working Group. The group will review the County Council website information and navigation on the following pages: Home page Information for adults and older people - Information about services and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities - This work will be completed by 30 November (5) Improved marketing about places where people can go to find out information and advice about care and support. This work will be undertaken by the Children, Families and Adults Information Team on behalf of the Council s Care Act Communication and Information Project Group. This will include Voluntary and Community Sector Providers Care and Support Information and Advice Workshops (August and September 2015) and work to develop the advice community and the information and advice model for Cambridgeshire. 15.

17 Next steps The Cambridgeshire Making it Real Action Plan review report will be published on the TLAP Making it Real website and linked to from the Cambridgeshire County Council website. The key recommendations listed above will be taken forward by the: (1) Accessible Information Working Group (a multi-stakeholder group made up of lived experience representatives, carers, Council and voluntary sector representatives). (2) Children, Families and Adults Information Team at the Council. Progress will be monitored by the Council s Care Act Communication and Information Project Group. TLAP Making it Real website: Cambridgeshire County Council Care and Support website: MIR Action Plan Review v1.1 11/15 16.