Fit for the Future relies on the continued involvement of providers of support for older people to inform our journey and learning! This is why we have the owner and manager of a care at home service on our project steering group. We asked Anna Houston of Carewatch a few questions about her background and hopes for the future, see her very insightful answers below..
Tell us a little something about yourself and your background..
- [Anna: ] Following many years in sales and management for manufacturing companies I joined Carewatch 10 years ago. Carewatch is a franchise business and with my father we operate 4 areas on the West Coast of Scotland. I now run the company, we have nearly 200 staff operating in urban and rural locations providing services across 6 local authority areas predominantly to older people. I am a Executive Committee Member and Director of Scottish Care who represent the largest group of Health and Social Care sector independent providers across Scotland delivering residential care, day care, care at home and housing support. I also represent the Independent Sector on the Argyll & Bute Reshaping Care for Older People Board.
What interested you in/ brought you to the Fit for the Future project?
- [Anna: ] Making sure that providers who may not have already engaged in the RCOP Agenda through local partnerships have the opportunity to develop their businesses to meet growing capacity and meet local needs. Having the opportunity to work with IRISS who bring a creative an innovative approach to service delivery models was particularly interesting for me.
What is your role in the project steering group?
- [Anna: ] I bring operational experience as a provider and also a business owner where balancing the operations and finances of a company with trying to develop your business can sometimes be difficult. I have a wide network of people I can call on for further insight and advice from care homes, extra care settings and housing support services from individual businesses to the larger national groups.
What you would like to see come from Fit for the Future?
- [Anna: ] I would like to see examples of new ways in working which other providers can use in full or part to develop their services to make them fit for the future. Increasing capacity in innovative ways which ultimately mean more people are cared for in the way they want, where they want and when how they would like.
What do you think is the ‘future’ for service provision?
- [Anna: ] I think the future is bright, but it will be difficult to get through the short term difficulties (around commissioning practices and non level playing fields with contracts, hourly pay rates, training funding and travel payment arrangements) I think providers will need to change the way they deliver care and support services but most importantly plan, review and develop services for people receiving these and their families. To enable to do this though there needs to be fundamental changes in the way we work with the integrated NHS and Local Authorities, and appropriately funded services to meet increasing training, staff development, travel costs and overhead costs to meet legislative requirements and ensure we have a confident, competent workforce, with better rates of pay.
Many thanks to Anna. If you would like to get involved in the project, please visit the ‘Contact Us’ page and be in touch!