Cared for, Safeguarded and Healthy-Social Care Customer Experience Budget Proposal

A focus on the social care customer experience
Health and social care is a complex set of systems often governed by distinct pieces of legislature and delivered by multiple services, even within a single organisation such as the Council. In 2017 we reviewed the adult social care customer journey and ensured that our customers had a named worker, based in a local team, who would remain with that person throughout their social care journey. This has proven successful and is enabling better quality customer relationships to develop, as well reducing costly, duplicate processes from occurring. We aim to go further and whilst there are limited direct cost savings at this stage, we know that getting the right person to do the right thing correctly the first time means we are able to direct our resources more effectively and mitigate against the increasing demand for good quality advice and information.

This proposal will:
-continue with our highly successful case management modernisation programme, to ensure that social care payments and processing are accurate, clear and efficient;
-make best use of the new My Care portal in the initial screening and contact service gateway to support NHS and other wellbeing professional to self-serve or make online referrals. This will create more time for resident calls. The new community hubs will provide on the doorstep, comfortable locations for our customers to meet with our social work teams and reduce the number of costly home based visits workers current undertake.

Developing Our Workforce; our workforce is our key asset. Over the past few years, we have significantly invested in our workforce, including a new ICT system for case recording, new technology and kit to enable our staff to work on the move, and a new practice model for all staff working with children. However, the national shortage of children’s social workers and regional pressures in the job market are placing significant pressures on both the adult and Children’s social care workforce in North Tyneside. This proposal will develop and deliver a Workforce Strategy that will ensure we have a stable, skilled and motivated workforce. Thus avoiding cost.