Summary and introduction
Executive summary
In successive social care surveys, Lincolnshire residents report having a good quality of life and being satisfied with the services they draw upon. People are ambitious about their health and wellbeing outcomes, despite the challenges they may face. The Council’s Adult Social Care services work through these challenges to support people’s wellbeing, in collaboration with the individuals and communities we serve and all our many stakeholders. Our workforce is committed to the values of the Council. The service has an open and honest relationship with the public. We listen to people and value feedback. The service actively promotes people taking responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.
The ambition of this two-year strategy is to go beyond “good” and to do so sustainably, both financially and in the levels of resilience we facilitate in our communities. People who draw on care and support are at the heart of this strategy. They, and the staff who support them, have co-produced many aspects of this strategy. We have agreed a strong vision that galvanises our collaboration. People have expressed principles that guide the strategy development and its implementation.
We recognise services must improve further, particularly considering the new and ongoing challenges faced by our communities, not only rurality and isolation but also health and economic inequalities. Based on what we hear from the experiences of people who draw on care and support, we are working to secure service improvements in key areas. Our aim is to tackle health inequalities and ensure our services are responsive to people’s needs, deliver their desired outcomes, and support their aspirations to live independent lives.
The strategy puts forward a Target Operating Model (TOM) that brings together our efforts, for preventative support, access to technology, and early help to reduce the escalation of needs. Central to the TOM is the notion of empowering individuals and communities. It is framed by practical, person-centred, strengths-based approaches, to support and safeguard people from harm. Prevention, in the form of information, advice and guidance, promoting self-help, and early help and support, forms part of a robust approach to reducing need and hence demand for formal care services.
We recognise the power of co-production with people who draw on care and support in harnessing the best ideas for innovation. We aim to build on our long history of partnership working with people in Lincolnshire, the NHS Integrated Care Board, Police, NHS Trusts, Primary Care services, the voluntary and independent sectors, and our wider communities. Achieving greater personalisation of care and support has the potential to ensure people are more in control of their life outcomes, while also guiding services to address what matters most to people, thereby avoiding inefficiencies and unnecessary costs.
Introduction
This two-year strategy sets out our commitments, priorities and strategic goals for transforming Adult Social Care services for working age adults and older people.
The vision for Adult Social Care in Lincolnshire is: ‘People stay as healthy, safe and independent as possible within their communities.’
As a society, people are generally enjoying longer lives. As we grow older, some of us require a greater level of care and support. We want to create an environment that empowers Lincolnshire people to thrive and lead healthier, more independent, self-reliant and confident lives, making best use of the resources available. Good health and wellbeing are the foundation for people’s independence and resilience.
This strategy promotes good health and wellbeing through tackling health inequalities and making care and support more accessible and effective in meeting people’s outcomes. To achieve this, we will forge greater collaborative and integrated working arrangements across the whole community, including people who draw on care and support, unpaid carers, formal health and social care providers, and independent and voluntary services. Many people in Lincolnshire choose to buy and arrange their own care and support, using their own resources. It is vital that all people have access to high quality information, advice and guidance, as well as an effective social care market that offers people choice and value for money. While our adult social care services have done well in supporting people and demonstrating value for money for the council, the call on public funds is growing annually. We aim to improve to meet the twin challenges of rising cost and demand in the future, through transforming how we arrange and deliver services going forward.
We will ensure that people who draw on care and support play the central role in determining their own futures, making the most of the informal support from their families, friends, as well as local ties and connections in their neighbourhoods. We adopt strength–based and person-centred approaches. We have worked with people who draw on care and support and carers to co-produce this strategy.
Turning our vision into reality
Our strategic goals and operational actions are guided by the “I Statements”, part of the Making It Real framework, developed nationally by Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) as part of their work with people with lived experience of health and care services, and partners. This framework is endorsed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Local Government Association (LGA). These statements include:
- I have care and support that enables me to live as I want to, seeing me as a unique person with skills, strengths, and personal goals.
- I have care and support that is co-ordinated, and everyone works well together and with me.
- When I move between services, settings or areas, there is a plan for what happens next and who will do what, and all the practical arrangements are in place before change happens.
- I am supported by people who listen carefully, so they know what matters to me and how to support me to live the life I want.
Guiding principles developed by our co-production group
These guiding principles have been expressed by people who draw on care and support in Lincolnshire, who contribute to our Co-production Group:
- when support is needed, it is flexible, progressive, person-led, with the power and space to be creative and change, to suit people’s circumstances
- we will work in a collaborative way with other services to improve the quality of people’s experience
- we focus on what matters to people and work to enable people to achieve their goals
- we have an open and learning culture that helps us learn from what works for people, adapt and improve our offer continually
- our relationships are built on trust, equal partnership with people, shared decision making and a common and positive language
- empowering people to live as independently as possible in their own home and communities