Agenda item

The Director of Adult Social Care and Commissioning presents a briefing on the Leading Better Lives work to date.

 

The Head of Strategic Commissioning for Social Care and Education presented a briefing on the Leading Better Lives work to date. Key points to note were as follows: 

 

• The ‘Think Local Act Personal’ approach had been adopted in terms of vision for the city and every person with care and support needs. There was an emphasis on doing what is important for people, including unpaid carers. 

• Work was centred around co-production. 

• When compared to other Local Authorities, Leicester did tend to support more people and this brought financial challenges. 

• Early intervention was key. 

• Work had commenced with the Ernst and Young Consultancy in the previous year. The aim was to create an ethos of one council one culture, early action and a strength based community. 

• A significant exercise, including the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE), had seen mass engagement across the city,  

• The VCSE were invited to host focus groups and talk with people.  

• An online survey gathered responses around; what was good, what should change and future aspirations. A rich data pitch was collected, capturing the voices of people and the communities. Lived experience was shared. 

• There was an even spread of people across the workgroups, a third of people were from the Council, Police and Crimes Commission Office and NHS, a third from the people and communities and a third from the VCSE. 

• The data was examined and four prevalent themes were identified; loneliness, not feeling listened to, information signposting, use of online technology. Other themes included GP equipment and anti-social behaviour and this feedback was passed to the corresponding organisations. 

• Co-produced action plans resulted in multidisciplinary meetings, drop-in sessions within local communities, information and guidance surrounding online support.  

• The projects consisted of: 

o   Project 1 - Increase social inclusion – Public Health were leading on this, it was noted that they had an excellent infrastructure. This entailed door knocking and checking in with others, providing local tailored support. Pilot areas were being identified. 

o   Project 2 – The Head of Strategic Commissioning for Social Care and Education was leading with a task and finish group. The mission being to bring a city centre showcase event together on the 13^th September, highlighting the significant work taking place. Invites were going out to the VCSE, NHS and other partners offering free pitches to promote their work. 

o   Project 3 – Consisted of multidisciplinary drop ins, working closely with the Housing and Enablement teams. This entailed front door work before people needed Adult Social Care involvement. Assistance offered included housing, income maximisation, debt recovery support via local drop ins. 

o   Project 4 – Collaborating with community leaders, it was known that there was a lack of people wishing to visit the city centre. Engagement and collaboration could take place via local events with community leaders, showcasing local services.  

• The next steps were to work hard on the action plans and hold an all encompassing event on 20^th October to review the work and consider how to take things further corporately.   

 

The chair thanked The Head of Strategic Commissioning for Social Care and Education for the presentation and welcomed questions and comments from the commission. Key points to note were as follows: 

 

• The engagement strategy was vital, and the aim was to make things as welcoming and attractive as possible. A corporate communications team was on board, and media coverage such as radio would be utilised. Street performers would be present and it was hoped that this would draw people into the city centre. 

• Regarding evaluation of success and value, tick box questionnaires provided information, and data analysis of the dashboard was ongoing. The key revolved around interactions with people to ascertain what was working for them. 

• A grass wide approach within communities would aid sustainability for a long-term vision. It was recognised that wider work would be necessary in some more challenging areas were community leadership was lacking. The recruitment of the new Head of Communities would support in this area. Local events held in the area could help to meet cultural needs. A small budget was available for local activities such as the event held in the St Matthews area. Learnings would be taken from this event as to how to approach similar activities. 

• It would be important to keep a flexible model in mind to promote learning and adaptability. 

• Community leaders could be identified through the festival of engagement. 

• There was a good history coproduction, for example with the Make it Real group and the work done with carers. There were different levels of work with people.  

• Members of the commission praised the co-productive work and were keen for follow ups on the data passed to the NHS in relation to Person Centred Care Planning. 

• It was suggested that links could be established with mental health cafes to combat isolation and loneliness. It was noted that The Director for Adult Social Care and Commissioning, being a member of the commission, chairs a task group connected to the public health arena.  

• The commission highlighted potential misconceptions around the online presence of older groups. It was felt that whilst some older people may not use the internet, many did, so this medium should not be ignored. 

• Breakdowns for work in term of city demographics were requested by the commission, for example with newer city communities such as the Turkish community. 

• Local event promotion would be communicated as part of the ongoing dialogue with the communities and might also come through ward councillors. Matters remained open. 

• The commission reflected how community centres can help to combat loneliness, and The Strategic Director Social Care and Education noted that the current consultation was aimed at establishing how best to use the community centres to meet the needs of the people.  

 

RECOMENDATIONS:

 

• To bear in mind essential costs incurred within the voluntary sector.  

• Leading Better Lives - To hold St Matthew’s as an example of how to create impactful community events. 

• Leading Better Lives – To receive and explore feedback from the community on the project impact.       

• It was suggested that links could be established mental health cafes to combat isolation and loneliness. 

• To receive follow ups on the data passed to the NHS in relation to Person Centred Care Planning. 

 

AGREED: 

 

·       To provide breakdown figures on demographics engagement.