Adult Social Care

Older People
Physical and Sensory Disability
Learning Disability
Mental Health
Commissioning and Service Improvement
Supporting People
Carers
Policy and Performance

Within Older Peoples Service our aim is to provide innovative services, based on good practice using measureable outcomes to improve the services for people over the age of 65 years.

Committed to providing Best Value services, which include Extra Care Housing, Nursing, Residential Care, Domiciliary and Day Care, we develop appropriate options for a diverse client group working with partners from all sectors to secure a wide range of needs-based services.

The service is moving swiftly to establish new ways of working in line with government legislation. This includes improving the range of services offered to Older People and their carers as well investing into the prevention agenda. Buckinghamshire County Council is committed in their philosophy of supporting people for as long as possible within their own home to maximise Independence.

In order to achieve this we are:

• Shifting the balance of provision from residential care to support at home
• Developing additional Extra Care facilities.
• Raising awareness of the benefits of Direct Payments.
• Developing our purchasing strategy for nursing care capacity, including: short term breaks, respite and domicillary care services.
• Improving Access, Information and Advice to the public through the Central Duty Team.
• Developing a range of preventative projects to support a range of people living in the community.

Working across all care groups, the team comprises social workers and care workers and the following specialisms:-

Physical disability
Sensory disability
Blind/ partially sighted
Deaf. Deafened, hard of hearing
Dual sensory loss
HIV/Aids
Brain Injury.

Using strategic approaches and productive partnerships, the team works with health, housing, advocacy and voluntary organisations to encourage best practice and countywide delivery.

The team also leads on physical and sensory disability commissioning and leads on the promotion of Direct payments and manages the community Occupational Therapy Service.

Working with partners on the Physical and Sensory Disability Partnership Board, we are working to:

• Develop and implement a Physical and sensory Disability Strategy
• Implement the recommendations arising from the National service Framework for long-term conditions
• Improve the performance and accessibility of equipment services.
• Further develop Community Occupational Therapy
• Develop a specialist service for people with a dual sensory disability
• Continue to extend the provision of Direct Payments and the Direct Payment Advisory Service to all adults and their carers

Under the leadership of the Adult Social Care portfolio the Buckinghamshire Learning Disability Service is a partnership organisation with the Ridgeway Partnership Trust and provides social care and specialist health care support and services to Adults with a Learning Disability (18+) and their families.

The Learning Disability Service works with a variety of partners both internal (to the Council and the Health Trust) and external which include:

• People with Learning Disabilities
• Family Carers
• Advocacy & Self-Advocacy Services
• Council Services
• Primary & Secondary Health Care
• District Councils
• Housing Associations
• Care & Support agencies in the third sector

Community Learning Disability Teams (CLDTs)
There are 3 CLDTs based in Aylesbury, Chesham and High Wycombe. The teams are mutli-professional and include:

• Community Nurses
• Social Workers (Care Managers)
• Rehabilitation Workers
• Therapists (Dieticians, Hearing therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapists)
• Psychiatrists
• Support Workers
• Transition Workers

The teams

• Provide information and support
• Offer assessments
• Co-ordinate care for individuals
• Work directly with individuals
• Work with legislation and guidance for the protection of vulnerable adults
• Have a key role in
• Service planning and development
• Training
• Promoting Rights, Independence, Choice and Inclusion

The Transition Team
The team of transitions workers led by a Transitions Manager. Workers are based in Children's Disability Teams, Community Learning Disability Teams and Adult Physical & Sensory Needs Teams.

The team supports young people with disabilities as they move into adulthood. Ie. young people from the age of 14+. They help to smooth the transition from services aimed at children for those for adults.

The team work individuals, parents, and other professionals such as teachers, Connexions advisors and health professionals.

The amount and nature of support provided will vary from person to person and is identified within the Transitions Pathway Plan.

Day Opportunities
The Buckinghamshire Day Opportunities Service support people in many ways
Employment - through the Back2Base employment service, work experience
opportunities within our own resources such as Thrift Farm, Aylesbury
Recycling Centre, Winslow Coffee Shop
Education - in partnership with local colleges and adult learning services
Community Involvement - supported by In-House day centres
Activities within the centre
Support for friendships and social opportunities
Access to leisure
Individual Care and Support to individuals

Short Breaks & Respite Care
Buckinghamshire Learning Disability Service have their own in-house respite service (Seeley's House). They work in Partnership with an Independent Provider (Fremantle Trust) to manage Respite Care Services across the county.

Mental Health

In Buckinghamshire, the specialist mental health service for adults of working age with mental health problems has developed integrated health and social care community teams which support recovery, social inclusion and mental well-being. Social care staff include social workers and community staff with a wide range of specialized functions including support time and recovery (STR) workers, day care, housing support and domiciliary care.

Unlike many other counties, Buckinghamshire has also developed similarly integrated services for older people with mental health problems.

The features of these services include:

• An integrated approach to the Care Programme Approach (CPA) and care management.
• The provision of Assertive Outreach services, Community Acute Services (Crisis resolution and Home Treatment teams) and Early Intervention services across the county.
• Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) take an equal share in covering the need for specialist community mental health services across the county.
• Positive developments to modernise supported living opportunities for people with serious mental health problems and an impressive track record of making available Direct Payments.
• A plan to review day care and employment services
• An agreed plan to reconfigure inpatient services and to consolidate the establishment of 7-day 'Day Hospitals' as an alternative to inpatient care.
• Increasing the opportunity for rehabilitation and independence, through the availability of Direct Payments, employment opportunities, and Supported Living schemes.

Commissioning are responsible for the strategic planning of care services and the shaping of the local care market to meet the current and future needs of service users. They achieve this by working with service users, their carers, other agencies and providers to specify, secure services through contracts and other purchasing arrangements

Commissioned services for older people include Extra Care Housing, Nursing, Residential Care, Domiciliary and Day Care.

We work with a variety of partners to develop services that promote social inclusion and choice for those with learning disabilities.

Our Partnership and Physical Disability team incorporates the housing and 'Welfare to Work' agendas. It also leads on physical and sensory disability commissioning and manages the supported employment service.

The Mental Health team works within an integrated health and social care framework, supporting the development and delivery of services to promote social inclusion and mental well-being.

The Supporting People programme offers vulnerable people the opportunity to improve their quality of life by providing a stable environment. Supporting People provide housing related support to people in specialist supported housing and in their own homes. This includes older people, people with learning difficulties, some disabilities or mental health problems. Refuge for women fleeing domestic violence, support for young homeless people and tenancy support for people struggling with their current accommodation are also provided.

With nearly 50 thousand Carers in Buckinghamshire the County Council helps them by funding short breaks for service users, funding Carers Bucks to give advice, information, and emotional support to Carers and to act as an advocate for them. We also fund other organisations both large and small to provide help to carers and the people they look after.

The Policy and Performance Team undertakes a range of activities to support the commissioning and delivery of social care services. The principal components are:

• Customer Care
• Communications and Consultation
• Management Information
• Arrangements for the protection of vulnerable adults
• Policy development and analysis
• Performance management

---

Back

|

Forward

---