Department of Social Work
Community Care Services Plan 2008-11
INTRODUCTION
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Community Care Services provide services to adult client groups and their carers, including vulnerable adults, such as, people with mental health problems, people with learning disabilities, people with substance misuse issues, and older people. Services include home care, support, and assessment and care management.
LEGISLATIVE & POLICY CONTEXT
Legislation
The legislative context for the Community Care Services Plan 2008-11 centres primarily on the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and the NHS and Community Care Act 1990.
Other relevant Acts include:
- Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 – reformed the law governing decision making for adults who cannot make financial, personal or medical decisions for themselves
- Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 – introduced national care standards and arrangements for the registration and inspection of services through the Care Commission
- Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003
- Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 – required new models of care and investment in mental health services and also advocacy
- Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 – once fully enacted, this Act will give new powers and statutory responsibilities to Local Authorities to investigate any risk of harm, or abuse to, adults in the community or care homes
- Community Health Partnerships (Scotland) Regulations 2004
- Community Care & Health (Scotland) Act 2002
- Disability Discrimination Act 2005
- Equality Act 2006
- Vulnerable Winesses (Scotland) Act 2004
- Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007
- Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996
National Policy
The national policy context for the Community Care Services Plan 2008-11 includes:
- ‘Changing Lives’ – 21st Century Social Work Review
- Reducing delayed hospital discharge
- ‘Same As You?’ – learning disabilities services strategy
- Drugs strategy and the Alcohol National Plan
- The National Programme for Mental Health and Wellbeing
- The Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland (carers’ services)
- National Framework Strategy for Older People
- Managing long-term health conditions
- Reducing health inequalities
- Joint Future
- ‘Older & Wiser’
- ‘Better Health, Better Care’
- ‘Delivering for Mental Health’
- ‘Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland’
- Local Government Concordat
Local Policy
The local policy context for the Community Care Services Plan 2008-11 includes:
- Partnership in Practice Agreement (learning disabilities)
- Delayed Discharge Plan
- Carers’ Information Strategy
- Carers’ Strategy
- Joint Mental Health Services Plans
- Dementia Services Strategy
- Advocacy Plan
- Choose Life Plan
- ADAT Corporate Action Plan
- Housing Strategy
- Health Improvement Plan
- ‘Protecting Vulnerable Adults in the Western Isles’
- Community Plan
- The Western Isles Sexual Health Strategy
- Social Work Department (Community Care) Business Plan
Corporate Strategy: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
The Corporate Strategy 2007-11 outlines the mission statement of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar as:
“To provide excellent public services throughout the Outer Hebrides”
The Social Work Inspection Agency carried out an inspection of all the services provided by the Social Work Department in November 2006. The recommendations within the SWIA Action Plan have been, and are currently being, implemented.
PARTNERSHIP WORKING
The Community Care Service of the Social Work Department is engaged in extensive partnership working at all levels. For instance, the recently established Community Health and Social Care Partnership (CHaSCP) is taking forward many integrated service developments and planning projects, such as, mainland placements.
There are various planning Partnerships which link into the CHaSCP, for example, the Mental Health Partnership and the Older People’s Partnership. These enable a wide range of stakeholders to influence the development of services, such as, user and carer organisations, the voluntary as well as the statutory sectors.
There are also Locality Planning groups linking into the CHaSCP to establish the representation of issues for service development and planning from all communities across the Western Isles. A consultation network of interested service users is also being developed in order to provide feedback to both Health and Community Care services in various ways, such as, questionnaires and interviews by telephone or personal contact.
Area Health and Community Care teams have also been established allowing for closer joint working practice between Health and Social Work Community Care professionals.
Other examples of partnership working include Winter Planning, Care Home Panel, Delayed Discharge Planning, MOSS, Mainland Placements involving joint planning and also developments, such as, the proposed extension of the Crossreach service to people with mental health problems, and the development of a mainland placements panel.
The facility to incorporate the views of service users, carers and others in service planning has never been greater and the Community Care service aims to make considerable use of these local developments.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Priority is being given to promoting a performance culture and to identifying and achieving key performance indicators and targets.
The IT system, OLM, which is currently being implemented throughout the Social Work Department allows for improved statistical data on Community Care services.
The JPIAF performance system has been implemented by the CHaSCP with feedback from the newly established Health and Social Care (Community Care) teams.
The system of Local Improvement Targets has been implemented by the CHaSCP to drive locally based targets in Health and Social Care.
The performance system entitled ‘Balanced Scorecard’ is currently in the initial stages of being implemented throughout the Comhairle, including the Social Work Department.
BEST VALUE & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The initial report from the Chief Executive regarding the Social Work Department review suggests a new post of Business Manager. It is envisaged that this post will be instrumental in ensuring that systems to implement and monitor Performance Management, Best Value reviews and Continuous Improvement within Community Care services are fully established.
RISK MANAGEMENT
There are risk factors associated with each service activity. The identification and management of risk is at the core of Community Care services, for example, in the care given to vulnerable adults at risk or in the provision of care services to residents in care homes for older people.
COMMUNITY CARE SERVICE PRIORITIES
The priorities for Community Care Services are based on the legislative and policy framework, and also local need, and are stated within the Social Work Department Business Plan 2007 (copy on the CnES website Chief Executive’s Office page).
Under “Known Service Gaps and Pressures” are included:
- “Lack of capacity in some geographical areas for care home places”
- “Difficulties with financial and workforce constraints in fully meeting the requirements of people with complex care needs”
- “Requirement to take forward organisational structures and management with NHS for the development of the Community Health and Social Care Partnership”
Links to Plans:
- CnES Social Work Department Business Plan 2007
- CnES Corporate Strategy 2007-11
For copies of these plans, contact Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Social Work Department on 01851 703773.
Contacts for this document:
Dr. R. McKinlay
Principal Officer (Planning & Development)
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Social Work Department
Grianan Centre
Westview Terrace
Stornoway
01851 709909
Mr. J. Edward
Community Care Team Leader
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Social Work Department
Francis Street
Stornoway
01851 709600
