Annual Plan Part C. SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN March 2011

Transcription

1 Annual Plan Part C SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN March 2011

2 SECTION 1 STRATEGIC OVERVIEW OF SERVICE The Business Support Service delivers a range of technical and support services to the Adult Care and Housing Group of Northumberland County Council and the Community Services Business Unit of Northumbria Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust (NHFT) this includes: 1. Audit and Risk management 2. Customer Satisfaction and Complaints 3. Estate management 4. Financial management 5. Governance support 6. ICT support 7. Information management 8. Policy and Performance management 9. System support 10. User and Carer involvement and engagement 11. Training and Workforce Development Under a Partnership Agreement, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) has delegated authority from the Council to manage this service and ensure that it operates effectively and efficiently in relation to the services within the Community Services Business Unit and across the Adult Care group. It is necessary for this service to work closely with other NHS Trusts and a wide range of voluntary and community sector organisations and groups to execute its duties. Therefore, NHFT are requested to ensure that the service meets its key objectives, which are: 1. Comply with national standards through effective governance and management 2. Reduce risk by providing a robust framework SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C2

3 3. Improve customer satisfaction by capturing and responding to customer feedback and complaints 4. Improve access to information and services through the effective use of estates and systems 5. Ensure appropriate and best use of finance through budget monitoring and financial controls 6. Improve the safety of customers and staff through robust governance and safeguarding arrangements 7. Inform decision making through effective use of information and user and carer engagement 8. Improve services by responding to policy and performance issues 9. Develop a workforce plan to respond to service demands. SECTION 2 MEDIUM TERM AIMS The Business Support Service will support, over the next 3-5 years, the transformational agenda of both the Adult Care and Housing Group and the Community Services Business Unit. The aims that are interlinked with these functions are: Modernisation of directly provided Adult Care services within the Council Development of a countywide Reablement Service Development of Integrated health and social care teams Maximising on health and social commissioning Responding to vfm reviews of housing To achieve this, the Business Support Service will be at the heart of these transformational changes and will need to respond and capitalise on its relationship with corporate services within NHFT and the Council. The service will: Provide a financial and performance framework that supports the transformational agenda Respond to new governance arrangements and regulation requirements with NHFT ICT and Estates strategy that enhances the transformational agenda and compliments both the Council and NHFT needs Develop an Organisational Change programme that compliments both the Council and NHFT SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C3

4 Inter-dependencies with other Council Services Under the Partnership Agreement, it is recognised that the Business Support Unit will be required to maintain effective and developing relationships with Council Services: Financial management A close relationship is in place with the Business Support Service and Finance to manage income and expenditure. This relationship and management of social care budgets within the Council will be crucial for the partnership agreement. ICT support An ICT agreement is in place with the Council s ICT service and this sits alongside a Service Level Agreement with NHS North of Tyne to deliver ICT support to the staff within Adult Care. Support to the social care ICT system SWIFT is crucial within this. Under the partnership agreement, ICT from the Council ICT service will be maintained. Estates A matrix management arrangement is place to manage Council owned social care estates and support staff within other estates settings. NHFT are requested to participate in the Council s review of public sector estates in Northumberland. Communications A close relationship has been maintained between the NHS and the County Council Communications teams. NHFT are requested to actively support this joint approach to managing communications going forward. HR and OD The Business Support Service manages the Adult Care Staff Development Unit and this unit works closely with the Council s Organisational Development (OD) Unit. NHFT are asked to continue to work proactively with this unit and the new lead for OD to gain greater opportunities for staff and economies of scale. SECTION 3 CONTRIBUTION OF SERVICE TO THE CORPORATE PRIORITIES Business Support services contribute to the council s corporate priorities in the following ways: SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C4

5 Respect and enhance our environment The Care Trust and Council Policy on green issues has been communicated and implemented. Specifically in relation to better use of our buildings, reducing waste and travel. Grow Northumberland s economy Through support to staff the service enables Adult Care services to release the potential of their service to achieve positive outcomes for the customer. Empower our residents, families and communities Through support to staff the service will enable Adult Care services to release the potential of their service to achieve positive outcomes for the customer. The involvement and engagement function also sits within Business Support and a number of opportunities for getting involved in planning and decision making have been created (e.g. Northumberland network of user forums). Promote health and wellbeing Through all of the business functions and specifically safeguarding, governance and workforce, customers will benefit from improved procedures and informed staff that will lead to better health and well being. CORPORATE PERFORMANCE MEASURES As a Council we take the management of performance very seriously and every service has worked in line with the organisation s new performance framework to develop systems that measure how we are doing on a range of issues that are important to customers. For example responding to customers efficiently, effectively and fairly; enabling innovation; managing risks; streamlining procedures and having a highly-skilled, healthy and safe workforce. This service has set a number of goals and is setting up its systems to enable the council to monitor, support and challenge the level of progress that is being made. SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C5

6 SECTION 4 APPROACH TO TAILORING THE SERVICE TO THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES A range of mechanisms are in place to ensure that Business Support services address the different needs of the communities they serve. It does this in a number of ways: Promoting Equality, Diversity and Human Rights The Business Support services continue to contribute towards the development and implementation of the Single Equality Scheme which includes all of the protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010, are represented on the strategic decision making group around Equality and Diversity, and will contribute towards the setting of equality objectives in Business Support services also continue to be reviewed to assess for any impact, positive or negative, on different groups who may access the different services, and to implement any recommendations such as ensuring staff have had up to date equality training and that staff know how to access services such as interpreting, advocacy and information in other languages and formats. Area Proofing Through support to staff the service will enable Adult Care services to release the potential of their service to achieve positive outcomes for the customer. In particular, the team responsible for user and carer engagement will work alongside the Council s Transformation Group to capture the views of vulnerable people within communities and engage them in planning and decision making. Customer Satisfaction Capturing customer feedback and complaints is important as it acts a balance for the hard data information we hold on Adult Care performance. Each service area; Care Management, Community Health and In house services have an established customer feedback mechanism and all adhere to one Customer Complaint procedure. This information is regularly presented and discussed by senior managers and informs service procedures and design. SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C6

7 Customer feedback has indicated a continued high level of satisfaction with services. A recent survey of customers (March 2010) has shown that customers felt positively about: Approach of staff Being treated with dignity and respect Being treated fairly Being involved in decisions about care Getting the right information in the right way Carers needs being taken into account. W e recently completed an evaluation of the forums from the perspective of forum members (August 2010). Forum members were involved in designing the evaluation which they decided was to be done via an anonymous postal survey. All respondents said the content of the forum meetings reflected the things they wanted to talk about and that they were listened to, and the majority felt that they always got the chance to have their say. All the people attending the forum are able to ask questions and pass opinions by the guidance and patience shown to us all by an excellent Chairman. Very good advice has been given by the Transformation Team over the recent months. Well done. (forum member) All respondents said that they found attending the forum meetings worthwhile. (The forums) one of the best ideas for myself and others similar. Some of the things forum members identified that they value about the forums are: Value the chance to hear from people with similar problems (forum member) The fact it gives people a chance to have their say (forum member) SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C7

8 Friendly atmosphere in which to keep up to date (forum member) The opportunity to be involved with other service users (forum member) Keeping ahead of Government and Local Council changes (forum member) Opportunity to voice our opinions and that they are taken on board (forum member). SERVICE-BASED INDICATORS (Insert additional lines as required) See Performance Indicators Section 2010/ / / /14 Actual Target Target Target SECTION 5 CONTRIBUTION OF SERVICE TO CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME Business Support services contribute to the transformation of the Council in the following ways: Trading, Income Generation, Shared Services, and Procurement The organisation is a huge procurer of services within social care and it is a constant challenge to maintain and drive value out of the hundreds of individual and block contracts in place within the organisation. The Business Support Service already work on a shared service arrangement with NHS North of Tyne. In 2011/12 this will continue under a SLA with NHS North of Tyne and NHFT. Front Office 2010 was a challenging year for Business Support as they implemented two major policy changes Transforming Community Health and Putting People First. This will continue to be a challenge and the capacity to deliver will be closely monitored. Skills and knowledge within the service are currently appropriate. Property and Agile Working As the level of internal service provision decreases then there will be less need for physical assets to provide those services and the asset portfolio will be restructured in line with this. SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C8

9 The key issue around assets is securing good quality office infrastructure for the teams to work from. Relationships need to be maintained with Commissioner and GP practices for the delivery of front line Community Health Services. Back Office The SWIFT system has been updated. In addition, significant improvements in infrastructure have been implemented to attempt to increase the speed of response from IT which has been inconsistent in recent years. The roll out of SystmOne in Health continues and will be the responsibility of NHFT to monitor progress with NHS North of Tyne. The Berwick Project Business Support has been involved with statistical analysis of public sector activity and expenditure in the last year. This preparation work will be included in the Project Initiation Document. In addition, Adult Care have been actively involved with Think Family programme and will continue to work on this in 2011/12. In-Service Transformation The Business Support services as a result of transfer will be part of the NHFT review of corporate services. A harmonised Organisational Change policy is being developed by NHFT and corporate functions will be reviewed within an agreed schedule. Whilst the Business Support Unit is responsible for providing back office support to both health and social care frontline services there are some economies of scale and improved working that can be achieved via this review. In addition, joint discussions on shared service provision with North Tyneside Council will also impact on Business Support services. SECTION 7 ACHIEVEMENT OVERVIEW FROM PREVIOUS YEAR The Business Support Services have been the lead for preparations with NHFT on vertical integration this work began in September 2010 and will conclude with a safe transfer for April SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C9

10 In addition, business as usual has been maintained during this challenging time and feedback from service users has improved once again in The finance team have introduced and successfully managed the use of personal budgets, ICT and SWIFT changes have complimented this major back office reform. In addition, service reviews within Front lines social care services and Care Management have been successfully implemented with whole systems approach by ICT, Estates and Performance. A new Risk Management system has been introduced and is now in use Trust wide, this system is already paying dividends in the level and detail of reporting received by teams and at Board level. Budgets for 2010/11 were brought in on balance at year end and efficiencies savings have been managed alongside operational changes. The finance department are managing an increase in deputeeships and appointeeships. The Financial Assessment and Benefit Officers have generated, once again, further income streams to clients thereby supporting charging policies. Benchmarking We are part of various benchmarking clubs for health and social care and these are picked up in the operational services plans. SECTION 8 DELIVERY PRIORITIES & OUTCOMES DELIVERY PRIORITY & OUTCOME Review of corporate services (NHFT) PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (Insert additional lines as required) 2010/ / / /14 Actual Target Target Target NI127 Self reported experience of social care users Targets cannot be set for this indicator as it is based on a different User Experience Survey e ach year. NI128 User reported measure of respect and dignity in their treatment Targets cannot be set for this indicator as it is based on a different User Experience Survey each year. SOCIAL CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICE PLAN Page C10