IMPROVING SERVICES FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Stockport Council is looking to deliver improved outcomes for older people by integrating services.

The Council’s Adult Social Care services are moving towards a more locality based integrated approach. This aims to join up local authority and health care services to enhance outcomes for older borough residents. 

This approach has already been adopted in Marple with the intention to expand to the rest of the borough.

Councillor Daniel Hawthorne, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Adult Care Services, said: “The Council is committed to providing the best possible services for older people in Stockport. By focusing care around older people with the aim of maintaining them in their own homes for as long as possible we will be able to align high quality home support alongside the multi-disciplinary teams that are being created.

“The reablement service will be a key part of the new integrated approach sitting alongside front-line social workers, district nurses and occupational therapists. This means that the current arrangement of having a separate company to deliver this aspect of care is not productive. This will offer older people an enhanced service by ensuring all social care staff are part of one team and one system of referral and assessment.”

Following a period of consultation the Council is therefore proposing to integrate the reablement service, Intermediate care and Night Support teams into the Council’s Adult Social Care services to continue these improvements. The reablement service was previously provided by ISSK.         

To facilitate the move back in-house senior managers and senior staff representatives have agreed to work collaboratively to help shape the new service in line with the Council vision.

Councillor Daniel Hawthorne, added “The staff and managers at ISSK are to be commended for the work they have done in improving the home support service over the last three years. However, the world has moved on since the company was formed and this is an opportunity too good to miss. By moving the staff alongside social workers and community health staff we are confident of building a strong future for the employees involved.”

Councillor Sheila Bailey, Chair of Adults & Communities Scrutiny Committee, added: “I am very pleased to see that this service is being brought back in house. I am sure with the efforts of the staff and the Unions the necessary improvements and changes will be made.  It is essential that the quality of care and support given to elderly and vulnerable residents is second to none and that the staff are given all the support they need in order to deliver this service. The Adults & Community Scrutiny Committee will receive a report in the new year on the progress that I hope will have been made.”

 It is further proposed that the day services, community meals and transport will either remain within a smaller ISSK or be transferred to the parent company SSK.