Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director, Adults and Health.

Camden’s Adult Social Care (ASC) department is ambitious to develop and transform the way we engage with our residents to support them to remain independent in the place they call home. Central to our future vision for Camden is a programme of transformation that focusses on the objectives of the ‘Supporting People, Connecting Communities’ strategy and reinforces our ambition for residents to live and age well in Camden. We know that when residents stay connected with their loved ones, local neighbourhoods and communities that they thrive. This involves recognising that people are the experts in their own lives, that they have strengths, resources and networks of their own, and with some support and connection can retain independence, live a good life and delay the need to draw on more intensive care and support.

Our aim is to transform our care and support at home offer for residents alongside a range of interconnected projects, such as our emerging Accommodation Plan, and include the further development of a neighbourhood approach with key partners across the Council, health, care and the voluntary and community sector (VCS).

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director Adults and Health, which was presented by Chris Lehmann, Head of Adult Social Care Strategy and Commissioning and Deputy DASS.

In response to concerns raised about workforce challenges linked to the undervaluing of care workers, the Head of Adult Social Care Strategy and Commissioning acknowledged the significance of the workforce challenges. The change project aimed to change the narrative about the care workforce and stress that it is valued in Camden. The Council worked in accordance with the Ethical Care Charter, co-produced with staff in commissioned services and sought to commission local organisations, demonstrating how the Council valued care workers. Remuneration was also being looked at. Karen Timperley, Head of Adults Commissioning, confirmed that a lot work was being progressed with the care workforce. Providers were looking at different ways of contracting with staff to meet the needs of workers. There was a piece of work with care workers to discuss what the work was like, what training was like, and personal development needs to understand what was important for them and how the role could be made sustainable. A lot care workers would say they enjoy their work. Fora, the design-led research organisation supporting the change project, was carrying out a photography project that would result in an exhibition on care workers.

The Head of Adults Commissioning assured the Committee that proposals regarding visitor parking and scratchcards was not an issue that care workers had raised. Care work was structured to operate within neighbourhoods so workers could walk or use public transport between visits. The Chair noted that proposals could impact on private carers who might use their cars to take people out.

Monitoring and measuring success was key to commissioning work. With the new initiatives, Fora was supporting with developing creative ways to measure outcomes. The Executive Director Adults and Health reinforced that the project was a learning process, with the service listening deeply to care workers and care recipients to think about what transformation could look like to make significant improvement within existing constraints. Over the next few years, there would be an exploration of different approaches, with a focus on measurement of learning activities. Over a longer period, there would be a shift in outcomes for care recipients.

In response to questions about the training of personal assistants, People Plus have been asked to start peer support groups so that personal assistants could learn from each other. Additional training, such as on safeguarding or moving and handling, could also be provided within those spaces. It was noted that personal assistants were not employed by the Council but by the resident. Training for care workers is supported by the providers and monitored by the Council. There was work underway with reablement workers to understand what their training looked like and how it could be enhanced. The Head of Adult Social Care Strategy and Commissioning and Deputy DASS also highlighted informal learning such as through sharing learning with providers from Safeguarding Adults Reviews.

The Executive Director Adults and Health assured the Committee that workforce shortages did not mean that anybody was not receiving the care they were assessed for. However, it was less likely they would receive the same care worker consistently which would impact relationships.

The Chair commented on the need for care workers to have a broad knowledge of disabilities so that they could provide a better experience for care recipients.

A Member suggested that a reward ceremony similar to that given for foster carers be considered to demonstrate how the care workforce was valued.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.