Communicating the Care Act

Communicating the Care Act

Communicating the Care Act what s changed? From April 2015, care and support in England is changing to become more consistent across the country. The overall aim of the Care Act is to help our residents remain healthy and independent for longer. A key requirement of the change is the need for clearer, comprehensive and joined up information and advice to enable people to research and plan their care and support for themselves. Bath and North East Somerset Council (along with all councils in England) will now use nationally agreed criteria to assess the help we can offer to adults. We will also be offering more help to unpaid carers all of whom will be eligible for an assessment. There is also a change in financing care called a deferred payment agreement. This means that people can borrow money from the Council to fund their care and do not have to sell their home until they want to or until it gets sold after their death to pay the loan back to us. A version of this is already available here in Bath and North East Somerset. From April 2016 there will be a limit on the total amount of money that people have to spend on their own care and support. We now have a legal duty to reach out to everyone from our most vulnerable and inaccessible residents to those who are able to pay for their own care but may not realise what is available. The Care Act is in line with our corporate advice and information strategy to share information in a way that everyone can understand on everything from weekly lunch clubs or community bus services to specialist financial advice, companies that install domestic equipment for people with disabilities and support groups for people with mental health needs or addiction. We need to ensure strong links between our services and providers in this area so that nobody falls through the gaps. 2

How are we doing this? Different groups are working locally on changes to the way we work, whether that is: providing information how we decide who needs support how we calculate what people need to contribute to care costs how services are set up for people what happens when people leave children s services because they have turned 18 or when they move to a different council area As we strive to give people the type of support they are asking for we have to find ways of work more effectively now and in the future. Every day more and more people go online to find information they need, so we are making our online information about care and support much more user focused. It will include information that is relevant to users, using language that everyone can understand, including accessible formats like video/audio/easyread and clearly linking to our partner organisations who can provide more help. Information for professionals will be in a separate area. Frontline council and service providers staff are helping us compile a list of commonly asked questions that could be dealt with online. Please get in touch if you would like to be part of this conversation. There will be a national leaflet drop and radio ad campaign in February. Locally, we are producing printed material and placing stories through internal communication channels and in the media about how care and support is provided in Bath and North East Somerset and the improvements that the Care Act brings. We are liaising with our partners and our neighbouring councils to ensure we avoid duplication. Ultimately, we aim to keep people safer and healthier. Once the online area has been updated, we will be promoting this through various channels. Over the next weeks and months we will be sending you updates and communications materials. Details of what we will be producing can be found on pages 6 11, examples include: workshops to share how we are improving our information and advice linking text and a logo for you to put on your website to ensure that people who click through from our website, know that they are in the right place details of the Department of Health leaflets/posters that will be distributed in some areas and those we are producing locally We will be communicating with you in slightly different ways depending on your level of interaction with our target groups (see page 5). Our key messages will be about how our residents care and support needs will now be met, carers assessments for everyone and financing care. We need to communicate this to our residents before the end of March. 3

What can you do? Help us share, promote, and keep up to date Please can you incorporate the materials and communications we have planned (see pages 6-11) into your own communications plans. Do let us know details of any newsletters, internal and/or external channels that you would like some content for. Please share with us any inspiring and thought provoking stories about care and support that we could use in media releases and other communications. These will help us highlight care and support in Bath and North East Somerset and help promote our improved online information, the new support for carers and the changes in financing care and support that the Care Act brings. Is the online information about the services you are involved in up to date and easy to understand? Through Wellaware and also directly from our website we will be signposting users to other organisations who can help. The reputation of the online information area depends on details being relevant and current, so we need your help in keeping it this way. The future Looking beyond April 2015, we will be working with you all to continue improving the way we communicate and link together. We will keep you updated on our developments and innovations like a care and support app, improved customer reviews and more. We hope you will do the same. Who are you?* Signposters: If your role involves some contact with our target audiences, then we would like you to have a good general awareness of the Care Act changes and an ability to point any members of the target audiences and/or their friends/family in the right direction to information that will help them find out about care and support in Bath and North East Somerset. Disseminators: If your role involves providing information and advice about care and support to our target audiences then we will be asking you to help us disseminate communications materials about the changes that the Care Act brings. These materials will be about carers assessments and information about the care and support on offer in Bath and North East Somerset. Everyone: Our ultimate aim is that all residents in Bath and North East Somerset will have some idea that these changes have happened and what it means for them and/or people they know. *If you think you are in the wrong category, please let us know Contact: my_caremysupport@bathnes.gov.uk with any questions, comments or contributions 4

Communicating the Care Act: the plan Who needs to know? Our ultimate target audiences (listed to the right) may be living at home, in care homes or hospitals. They may be state-supported or self-funders. However many of these people will not seek their information directly so we need to ensure we are communicating with everyone who comes into contact with them. Ultimate target audiences Carers Older People Disabled People, including those with sensory impairments People with long-term health conditions People with mental health needs People who may be vulnerable for multiple reasons (e.g. health, housing, unemployment) People experiencing a crisis (e.g. bereavement, debt) People wanting to plan for their future care and support needs (including paying for care) Young people in transition to adulthood People who are subject to safeguarding concerns, or who might wish to report a safeguarding concern 5

How do we reach our ultimate target audiences? We communicate with them directly and with the people who interact with them most often. who Group 1 Signposters: Good awareness of care & support changes Group 2 Disseminators: Advisers with detailed understanding of care & support changes Group 3: Everyone: General idea of care & support changes B&NES staff: Corporate communications team, Head of Libraries, Council Tax/ Housing Benefit staff, homelessness colleagues, transition from child to adult services teams, Environmental health officers, Council Connect & switchboard, One Stop Shop partners & agencies Police, Fire and Ambulance services B&NES staff: Housing officers, Benefits Advisors, People and Communities staff, Adult Safeguarding staff Medical: Healthwatch, GPs, Public Health, Hospital staff, Medical workers, Occupational therapists, Community health professionals, Public Health officers, Mental health workers, Pharmacists, RUH communications staff All council General public Governmental organisations The media (local and national) WellAware listed organisations (who don t have an information and advice focus) Town and parish councils, neighbouring councils Financial assessors, lawyers, accountants Community meals Social workers Carers organisations, Information and advice focused Wellaware listed organisations, APEX, Council for Voluntary Service, disability organisations, ethnic minority community organisations, housing organisations (CURO), advocacy organisations, hospices, Domicilliary care agencies, care homes Financial assessors (accredited) Community alarm officers, maintenance people, community centre workers, peer supporters, volunteers, care advisers, B&NES customer services 6

channels Group 1 Signposters: Group 2 Disseminators: Group 3 Everyone: B&NES intranet B&NES internal communications WellAware B&NES provided drop-in sessions Printed support materials Self-service PC s in One stop shops & Library PC s home page / logon page Facebook pages aimed at specific groups of staff Email/post B&NES intranet B&NES internal communications WellAware GPs via CCG channels Health and social care staff via Sirona intranet and monthly management brief Healthwatch e-bulletin Interagency monthly e-bulletin Pharmacists newsletter Avon & Wilts Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust Carers Centre monthly e-bulletin Partner organisations own communications channels Printed support materials B&NES provided workshops APEX channels B&NES public website Partners websites You tube Channel Council Twitter feed Partners twitter feed Intranet Staff Matters e-bulletin, One Council newsletter, Joe Blogs Posters, leaflets distributed in hospital, GP waiting rooms and by social and healthcare staff and information and advice staff and organisations. Jo Blogs IVR and Out of Hours messages Council Connect magazine Council Connect call centre staff Connect TV All council media and social media lists input by b&nes Write and send out introductory emails Create and adapt online/printed/video content Design/commission drop in sessions/training Promote new content through comms channels/training Write press releases /copy for relevant communications channels Distribute press releases/copy Evaluate new content/engagement Send out introductory letter with hard copy of communications strategy Create and adapt online/printed/video content Design/commission workshops Develop professionals area Promote new online content through comms channels and workshops Write press releases/copy for relevant communications channels Distribute press releases/copy Write media strategy Create and adapt online/printed/video content Write press releases / copy for relevant communications channels Distribute press releases/ copy Evaluate media coverage and call/online uptake Evaluate new content/engagement 7

output Group 1 Signposters: Group 2 Disseminators: Group 3 Everyone: Emails/information received by all signposters introducing B&NES Care Act comms work Improved online content is live on B&NES website. Signposters are aware of it, able to use it and keen to promote it. Posters and leaflets distributed to some of this group. Content and approach adapted as required by the signposters All disseminators receive this communications strategy and plan Care Act comms into their own comms plans. Disseminators attend workshops and use resources provided by B&NES to adapt their own communications to tie in with the Care Act requirements. Disseminators receive leaflets, posters (either printed or downloadable)and digital screen displays and disseminate them to the ultimate target audiences This group see/hear internal and external media coverage This group see and are given posters and leaflets This group receive info and advice about the changes from council and provider staff and via the improved online area Communications schedule What are the key messages? We are enabling people plan and choose own care/support through clear online and offline info on what is on offer in Bath and North East Somerset Assessments are now available for all carers Deferred payment agreements protecting the most vulnerable people in our society from abuse and neglect 8

Communications schedule Communicating with Group 1: Signposters Start date Action Channel Deadline Introductory emails Email Mid Adapt, print, upload and distribute DOH briefings, leaflets, posters Distribute to key partners and email web links to remainder Mid Feb /Feb Compile list of commonly asked user questions from frontline social care, health care and information and advice staff Sirona, Asist, Council Connect staff, I&A providers Mid Feb -March Create written, video, audio content for new council web pages B&NES website /Feb Upload financial eligibility calculator from NHS choices Create downloadable PDF self-assessment forms and info on What to expect in your assessment process. Assess possible syndication of NHS choices content on health and wellbeing B&NES website Research social media channels for this audience and create social media content N/A End Design drop in sessions for audience to pick up printed info and see new online offer N/A Early Feb Feb Promote new web area and downloadable/printable resources. Invite audience to signpost target audience to these. All channels listed above Early March Feb/March Promote and deliver drop in sessions Via all channels listed above 9

Communications schedule Communicating with Group 2: Disseminators Start date Action Channel Deadline Finalise and distribute communications plan Post hard copy Mid Adapt, print, upload and distribute DOH briefings/leaflets/posters Distribute to key partners and email web links to remainder Mid Feb /Feb Compile list of commonly asked user questions from frontline social care, health care and information and advice staff Sirona, Asist, Council Connect staff, I&A providers Mid Feb -March Create written, video, audio content for new council web pages B&NES website /Feb - Upload financial eligibility calculator from NHS choices B&NES website - Create downloadable PDF self-assessment forms and info on What to expect in your assessment process. - Assess possible syndication of NHS choices content on health and wellbeing Research social media channels for this audience N/A /Feb Create professionals/providers area with all downloadable, printable content for providers to put on own websites, link to or print as leaflets, posters B&NES website End Research social media channels for this audience and create social media content N/A Early Feb Feb Design workshops to introduce new web space, future plans. N/A Early March Feb Promote new online area and links to printable or uploadable resources Via all channels listed above Feb/March Promote and deliver workshops Via all channels listed above April Evaluate new online area and engagement with stakeholders re: Communicating the Care Act Various April Plan next phase of online area to include: N/A - Online self assessment and guidance for users if assessed as eligible for council support - A symptom checker style user journey where people can be taken through a series of questions to find info most relevant to them - Links with a secure data portal where users can access their own care accounts - A mobile app for frontline practitioners and the Group 2 audience to be able to access and signpost the target audience appropriately 10

Communications schedule Communicating with Group 3: Everyone Start date Action Channel Deadline Adapt, print, upload and distribute DOH briefings, leaflets, posters Will be seen in RUH, GP surgeries, pharmacies, One Stop Shops, information and advice organisations etc. Feb-March -Feb Adapt/create written, video, audio content for web pages and Connect TV in line with Care Act brand guidelines and approach. To include: B&NES website One Stop Shops - Info and signposting re. adult social care and support in B&NES - FAQ (DOH and as collated from frontline practitioners) Work out media and social media plan to tie in national radio ad campaign with press releases Write/adapt press releases and ad copy for print and radio ads. Titles TBC Copy deadline early Feb Feb Distribute press releases to media outlets in collaboration with Sirona and neighbouring councils Council media lists March Evaluate media coverage and develop media plan for future developments April Evaluate new online area impact Various End April 11