Essential adult social care engagement whitepaper launches

Today the Good Governance Institute (GGI), Care England and the Homecare Association launch a whitepaper designed to explore the extent to which the adult social care (ASC) sector is being appropriately engaged in the ongoing development of ICSs.

The purpose of an ICS is to deliver properly joined up care, so that people accessing health and care services experience them as seamlessly as possible. It is a partnership between organisations to better meet health and care needs across an area. Despite this, it seems that effective engagement among ICSs with the ASC sector has not been consistent. Recently, much of the focus in healthcare has been more on post-pandemic restoration and recovery, although even that situation still seems to be changing rapidly.
 
Andrew Corbett-Nolan, CEO of GGI, said: “Engagement with adult social care is essential to the success of integrated care systems (ICSs) and the development of health and social care services. This paper comes at an essential time for engagement with key partners across the system, to enable connections between health and social care.”
 
Martin Green, CEO of Care England, said: “In order for ICSs to succeed, social care provider’s must be heard. We urge all ICS leaders to carefully consider the key recommendations in this paper to ensure that integration works for both health and social care.”

Jane Townson, CEO of the Homecare Association, said: “Homecare services play a vital role, alongside housing, health and other community-based services, in enabling us all to live well at home and flourish in our communities. People receiving services need to experience seamless support from professionals and volunteers. It is therefore paramount to create a culture of collaboration between partners, focused on meeting the needs of people living at home.  We thus strongly encourage Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) to engage effectively with homecare providers and develop the huge potential that joined up care systems offer. Investing in multi-disciplinary support for people to maintain their health and well-being at home helps to enhance healthy life expectancy, which benefits individuals and their families, reduces pressure on the NHS and reduces costs in health and care systems.”

Key recommendations from the paper include:

• ICSs note that the social care partner member on the Integrated Care Board (ICB) will not necessarily be able to effectively represent providers, and therefore, ICSs should work with providers to develop more effective engagement mechanisms.
• ICSs should develop a plan about how to engage with ASC providers and involve them in the process.
• ICSs should have a provider forum or liaise with local care associations which nominates a representative to the ICS Partnership Board.
• ICSs should ensure that ASC providers have a role in the new local place arrangements, the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) and/or the ICB. Perhaps through the creation of a paid position that is tasked with furthering the ASC agenda and educating others around them on the issues facing the sector.
• The Department of Health and Social Care publish a specific framework for ICS engagement with the ASC sector.

Ends

Notes to editors

• Link to ICS Engagement with the Adult Social Care Sector in Decision Making: a report by GGI, Care England and the Homecare Association
• This report was created using methods including desktop research, interviews with NHS and other key public, third sector and private organisations.
• The Good Governance Institute exists to help create a fairer, better world. Our part in this is to support those who run the organisations that will affect how humanity uses resources, cares for the sick, educates future generations, develops our professionals, creates wealth, nurtures sporting excellence, inspires through the arts, communicates the news, ensures all have decent homes, transports people and goods, administers justice and the law, designs and introduces new technologies, produces and sells the food we eat – in short, all aspects of being human.
• We work to make sure that organisations are run by the most talented, skilled and ethical leaders possible and work to build fair systems that consider all, use evidence, are guided by ethics and thereby take the best decisions. Good governance of all organisations, from the smallest charity to the greatest public institution, benefits society as a whole. It enables organisations to play their part in building a sustainable, better future for all. www.good-governance.org.uk
• Care England, a registered charity, is the largest and most diverse representative body for independent care services in England.
• Working on behalf of small, medium and large providers, Care England speaks with a single unified voice for both members and the whole care sector. Its membership includes organisations of varying types and sizes, amongst them single care homes, small local groups, national providers and not-for- profit voluntary organisations and associations. Between them, they provide a variety of services for older people and those with long term conditions, learning disabilities or mental health problems.
• Care England is committed to supporting a united, quality conscious, independent sector that offers real choice and value for money. Our aim is to create an environment in which care providers can continue to deliver and develop the high-quality care that communities require and deserve.
• The Homecare Association is the UK’s membership body for homecare providers, with over 2,400 members nationally. The Association’s mission is to work together to ensure that homecare is valued, so that all of us can live well at home and flourish within our communities. The Homecare Association uses its trusted voice to help shape homecare and provides hands-on support and practical tools for its members. All Homecare Association homecare provider members agree to abide by the Association’s Code of Practice.
• For further enquiries please contact Stephen McCulloch, GGI Director of Engagement and Corporate Affairs on 07885224747 or Stephen.mcculloch@good-governance.org.uk