You spoke, we listened!

Here at Fit for the Future HQ, we are hoping that our bright and breezy stand and retro sweeties have brought more people in the independent sector to our project blog!

Welcome!

At the recent Scottish Care Annual Care Homes Conference, Exhibition and Awards 2013, we asked delegates (owners of care homes, managers, suppliers, visitors and support workers) two deceptively simple questions.

What will your service of the future look like?
What do you need (tools/information/support) to get there?

We had lots of people actively engaging in the conversation and putting their ideas up on our ‘ideas tree’

We took the answers and made them into word clouds – with the most common words the largest.

What will your service of the future look like?

The main suggestions from delegates centred around the quality and approach to support. People felt it needed to be person centred, include families and value things like health, dignity and independence.

People also recognised that their services would be integrated with health support and that they hoped that there was more of an ‘open and sharing culture’ amongst providers.

What do you need to get there?

Investing in high quality staff was a very common theme. People felt their staff should be paid more, that they needed more access to training (and funding for training). This was something that was highlighted by Scottish Care’s own Ranald Mair at the event.

There was one delegate who wanted to remove the ‘artificial boundaries’ from the transition from hospital to home or a homely setting ; it’s all the same person and all the same ‘pot’ of funding!

Interesting conversations on the day centred around the Liverpool Pathway- abolishing it, reframing it, training for it. What I took from this is that dying well is something that residential support services are exploring.

One delegate also wanted better ways to engage with families and older people themselves, with active participation at the centre of change.

Fit for the Future is dedicated to supporting the independent sector to make these positive changes, and as a group we will be discussing this feedback and how our project can deliver on some of the ‘things we need’.

November 14, 2013November 14, 2013

Care Home Labs: An Invitation

Invitation to Participate: Care Home Labs

The joint IRISS (Institute of Research and Innovation in Social Services) and Scottish Care project Fit for the Future is looking for a care home in West Lothian that is enthusiastic about improving their services to support better outcomes for older people and interested in working in new ways.

What is a lab?

A Lab is the name given to an environment where the people involved in providing support can come together and try out a new ways of working. Labs can be used to test out service processes, interactions, products and experiences.

A social service lab offers the opportunity to test and develop news ways of working, utilising the knowledge and experience of all service stakeholders.

As a part of the joint IRISS and Scottish Care project Fit for the Future, we are looking for a care home in West Lothian who would like to use the lab to improve and change their services to improve outcomes for older people.

This opportunity could be used in three different ways, for example to:

Understand the experience of care – i.e. specific transitions such as first entering a care home, leaving a care home to spend time in hospital or having family visit.
Test out new ideas, i.e. adapting current service processes, interactions, products and experiences.
Test the creation of new service, i.e. developing new service processes, interactions, products and experiences.

However we openly welcome other ideas in which the function and experiences of support could be approached.

What Fit for the Future can offer you as a provider

Partnership – We would provide support to develop your idea and the design of the lab to test this idea. It is vital that the people who will be part of the lab will be a part of this process.

Design – Depending upon the opportunity you want to explore, we would create the environments and prototypes you need in order to test the functionality and peoples’ experience of the idea.

Facilitation and recording – After the opportunity has been tested we would facilitate a discussion between everyone involved to discover their thoughts, opinions, ideas and experiences. We hope to capture learning from the day (in the medium that is most appropriate ie. Photos, videos) We will hope to capture the discussion and ‘debrief’ following the lab. This will mean that we have a robust record of the experience from multiple perspectives.

Evaluation – There will be a participative evaluation during their reflective session, and a series of follow up sessions after the lab to move forwards with learning.

Moving Forwards – This project aims to support the independent sector through change and improvement. We would be interested in supporting the involved provider to take the next step in utilizing their learning from their labs.

Sharing– IRISS & Scottish Care are interested in sharing the learning from this lab (both about the specific learning experience, but also about the medium of labs themselves). The participating provider must consent to share their experience of the process with other stakeholders.

Developing Your Idea

Ideas can come from anywhere. They can be solutions to problems, improvements for processes already in place or radical innovations.

This project has a focus on looking to the future of care, and making sure the independent sector is responding proactively to the Reshaping Care for Older People agenda. IRISS can also support you to source ideas and make safe spaces to ignite your creative spark!

Consider:

The issue/problem that you are looking to solve or the aspect of your service that you would like to improve.
What your idea for improvement is
Who will this benefit? (i.e. staff, service users, carers visiting the facility)
How this change would make you more ready to face the challenges of Reshaping Care for Older People.
Any practical or ethical challenges for carrying this test out in a real care setting

Time Commitment & Joint Working

Below is the time commitment that your organisation would commit to in order to develop and execute the care home lab:

Meeting to discuss labs and possible ideas within your agency
Next meeting where you will present your idea for consideration
Or Support to develop ideas and source ideas from staff, residents and families if needed
3 meetings over the space of 6-8 weeks where we develop the idea more in depth and design the lab with detail. These meetings should include all the people involved in the lab
Final brief for the day including development of any materials and consent to film/capture the day
1 or 2 day lab
1/2 day to debrief after lab and think about moving forward
An evaluation for the day- including main learning points and action plan for moving ahead.
Ongoing development to ‘move forwards’ from lab (dependent on chosen output)

For more information on Fit for the Future please visit https://blogs.iriss.org.uk/fitforthefuture/

If you are interested in participating in the lab, or want to hear more about them please contact:

Rhiann.mclean@iriss.org.uk

07545696162

scottishcarelogo

November 14, 2013November 14, 2013

Scottish Care Annual Care Homes Conference, Exhibition and Awards 2013

At this year’s Scottish Care Annual Care Homes Conference, Exhibition and Awards 2013 we are asking providers in the independent sector to look to the future..

The theme of the conference is:

“The Future of Residential Care for Older People in Scotland”

The Fit for the Future stand will be asking delegates to think about

1. What their service of the future will be

2. What tools and information they need to get there

In return, we will reward you with sweeties.

See you all there!

November 11, 2013

Branding: Fit for the Future

This week has been an interesting experience (and a first!) for me.

We spent some time designing a title and brand for the project.

IRISS’ creative in residence, Andy, sketched up some initial titles. We voted on our favourite idea within the project team. Then Andy and Kate got to work on making the design come to life!

I made sure to keep a record of the magic!

A big part of the work that Andy and Kate did was making sure the hand drawn images kept their authenticity, and Kate resisted the urge not to make them too neat and perfect. We wanted to keep it nice and energetic!

Kate then got to work adding colour to the sketches- using Scottish Care’s theme Reshaping Care logo colours and making it bright and bold!

And the final result? A bright, recognizable and friendly logo!

We chose ‘inspiring outcomes for older people’ because it got to the heart of what the project is really about – the lives of older people.

If you’re lucky enough to be attending Scottish Care’s Annual Care Homes Conference, Exhibition and Awards 2013 this Friday 15th November , you can get your hands on these little cards – and hear a little more about Fit for the Future.

November 5, 2013November 5, 2013

What’s it really like out there? Hearing from Anna Houston of Carewatch

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!

October 28, 2013

Integration : The Future of Care?

This project is preparing for the future of care and support for older people in Scotland. A key part of this future will be the integration of health and social care to provide holistic support for those who need it.

This article from the Guardian sets up a vision for care moving towards working towards outcomes for an individual through integration.

In the conversation about integration, there can be a risk on focusing on ‘structural solutions’ and ‘systems’ for integration. I believe that some of the critical foundation work that can be done now is to un-learn the formal distinctions between health and social care (the classic example is a ‘health bath’ versus a ‘social care bath’) and shift towards a shared understanding of outcomes.

One of the conclusions of this article is that care at home in the future will need a different type of staff team. Staff will need to be well trained and able to support people with more complex needs in their own homes.

Fit for the Future is currently working with providers in North Lanarkshire and selecting providers in Argyll & Bute to plan and recruit a workforce with the values needed to thrive as a part of an integrated, person centred system. This focus came from the shared understanding that building a secure, well-trained staff base with the values needed to succeed in this changing environment is an investment in the future of services.

In tandem, IRISS’ Keeping it Personal Project will work in a locality with both health and social care to achieve:

More shared understanding of a person-centred approach across health and social care
More effective person-centred support across health and social care
Improved understanding of the issues that constrain effective delivery of support at the juncture of health and social care and how these can be overcome

For some inspiration of what integrated services could look like, please see the King’s Fund UK integration map:

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/integrated-care-making-it-happen/integrated-care-map

October 25, 2013October 28, 2013

Where are we now?

– Rhiann McLean (IRISS Associate)

Right now, the project work I’m focussing on is taking stock of where we are now to help frame the changes that providers need to make to be (dare I say it?) Fit for the Future. I’m getting my head around our current national context, as well as local commissioning landscapes. In the next few weeks, I will begin the scoping stages of working with specific providers; looking at what works, and what could be improved to deliver better outcomes for older people.

The more time I spend with IRISS’ Innovation and Improvement team (https://blogs.iriss.org.uk/innovate/), the more I understand that context and environment are huge factors in change– and can be both barriers and facilitators for innovation. It has been useful to spend time recently mapping this landscape to get a real sense of the challenges and opportunities that providers in the Independent Sector are facing.

Providers often tell me that their achievements and progress sit under the ‘grey cloud’ of current media coverage of services for older people.

I’m spending some time next week analysing a week’s worth of newspapers (Scottish National) coverage of support for older people to capture the national image of older peoples services.

I hope this will help us, as a project, and our partners, understand a little about the ‘grey cloud’… and how we can get out from under it and change the conversation!

… watch this space!

October 25, 2013October 25, 2013

Where the Heart is….

A very productive meeting with Robert Telfer, Development Officer in West Lothian has highlighted a really salient point: that care homes are really homes.

Ultimately, while residential care is a ‘service’, it has a different feel and different boundaries, because it is also home for its residents. Any changes to this setting need to carefully consider the impact on residents and their comfort. It must also involve them in design and decision making throughout…

After all:

“Home is existential and experiential. It is where domestic lives are played out. Home is a myriad of things: a set of relationships with others, a statement about self image and identity, a place of privacy, a set of memories, and a social and psychological space.” (Oldman 2002: 230)

* Oldman, Christine (2002) Understanding Care, Welfare and Community: A Reader edited by Bacigalupo, V., Bornat, J., Bytheway, B., Johnson, J., Spurr, S.

October 15, 2013October 15, 2013

Welcome to Fit for the Future: Argyll and Bute!

I’m Julie Thomson, I work as Development Advisor across Argyll and Bute; large geographical area with beautiful scenery.

My previous posts have mostly all been developmental – Development posts in Health, Education, the Third sector and latterly with the Scottish Social Services Council.

I am employed by Scottish Care to work with Independent Sector providers in Argyll and Bute; my role is to support them to engage with the Reshaping Care for Older People Programme.

There are a variety of Care Home and Care at Home services in Argyll and Bute..some providers are starting to see the value in Reshaping Care and the positive impact the programme could have on their business.

Key area of activity are Joint Strategic Commissioning, Leadership and Change Management and a great deal of activity around locality planning.

Working with IRISS is always a learning opportunity and I see Fit for the Future as an opportunity to support services to embrace change and reshape services to meet population needs.

For more details about the project or to get involved locally, please visit the ‘Contact Us’ page.

October 14, 2013October 14, 2013

Introducing Rhiann McLean

My name is Rhiann McLean and I am an Associate with The Institute of Research and Innovation In Social Services (IRISS) working on the Fit for the Future project in partnership with Scottish Care.

My past work experience includes a focus on learning disability, working first in day centres and outreach support and later in service coordination, education and service improvement. My last position involved developing an integrated approach to Self Directed Support to make assessment and care planning more accessible for and inclusive of people with complex needs and learning disabilities. I am always interested in new ideas and taking lead from the people who use services.

I’m coordinating this project across 4 sites (Argyll and Bute, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire and West Lothian) and leading the development work needed to support providers to reshape their services for the future.

This project is focussing on supporting the independent sector to reshape their services to better meet the outcomes of older people, and to proactively respond to the opportunities of Scotland’s Reshaping Care for Older People programme.

I see my role on this project as to really challenge providers to respond to challenges in an innovative, creative way. I’d like to work with them to find practical solutions and involve older people themselves in the process.

I will be one of the main contributors for this blog and plan to use it as a space to share developments and thoughts with the Independent Sector, as well as get feedback and ideas from our audience!

If you would like to find out more about the project or share your perspective on the future of older peoples services- please be in touch!

–

Rhiann McLean, IRISS Associate

rhiann.mclean@iriss.org.uk

0141 5595058