There are a number of service areas in Adult Services:-
- Services for Older People
- Team Information
- Services for People with Disabilities
- Team Information
- Structure document - Coming Soon.
The older people get, the more important their own front door is to them. It is confirmation that, like everyone else, they are determined, independent individuals who can look after themselves. At Gateshead Council, we understand that, so we look for creative, personalised, realistic and more effective ways to help people live independently for longer. The main solutions to support people always come from the people themselves, our role is to help them reach their goal.
We are committed to implementing a person centred approach in meeting the needs of our service users and carers. Our well-established involvement and participation forums engage service users, carers and key stakeholders and feed into the various Partnership Boards. We work together to meet the aspirations, wishes and essential needs of older and disabled people in Gateshead, helping them to achieve independence, choice, rights and inclusion.
The focus of our approach is to enable people to live safely and in their own homes and neighbourhoods in Gateshead, with the support they require through our enthusiastic and committed workforce and from other partner agencies.
The new initiatives we are developing include :-
- Partnership working with users and carers, health, Primary Care Trust, housing, education, leisure, cultural services and independent and voluntary sector providers.
- Partnership with the Department of Work and Pensions has brought about the development of a service called Link Up, promoting easy access to learning, employment, time banks for volunteers and a home repairs scheme for people over the age of 50.
- We are a pilot site for Individual Budgets and actively promote the take up of Direct Payments. This gives service users and carers, maximum choice and control to promote their full involvement in decision making, about their current and future social care outcomes.
- We have forged positive links with people in the community to understand their culture and develop our approaches to include Minority Ethnic groups in service development.
- The Forum for Older People has been developed and is operating from Worcester Green Day Centre. This group provides a voice for a very large membership of older people in Gateshead and provides a valuable opportunity to share information and listen to the views of older people.
- We are working towards integrating our specialist social work teams, decentralising budgets, making the best possible use of all available resources and implementing individualised commissioning frameworks to achieve person centred outcomes for service users and carers.
Currently our teams provide specialised support to meet the social care needs of the ageing population. Our assessment functions are specialised within teams for older people, physical assessment, mental health assessment , occupational therapy and care management functions under the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. We also have Domiciliary Care Teams and Promoting Independence Centres.
- Physical Assessment Social Work Teams - based in local council offices offering a mix of skills within the teams to carry out needs assessments, ranging from low level to a more complex casework. We operate a duty system that, with the involvement of Emergency Duty Team, covers the 24hour period, 365 days a year.
- Hospital Assessment Social Work Team – based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital carrying out assessments to facilitate safe and timely hospital discharges.
- Emergency Duty Team -provides out of hour’s social work service 365 days per year and links to all social work teams.
- Mental Health Social Work Teams – based in local council offices and offering a mix of skills within the teams to carry out needs assessments, ranging from low level to a more complex casework. We operate a duty system that, with the involvement of Emergency Duty Team, covers the 24hour period, 365 days a year. There is excellent communication links with Community Psychiatric Nurses and Psychiatric Consultants.
- Domiciliary Care Service – this service is split into Promoting Independence Teams and long-term support teams.We have excellent links in place with the independent agencies to support people to remain in their own homes. We work to the standards set by Commission for Social Care and Inspection and have set quality standards for the service.
- Occupational Therapist Team - provides assessment of functional ability and the environment to enable people to remain in their own homes with specialist equipment and major adaptations. The Supporting People Rehabilitation Team provide specialist Occupational Therapist help in clients homes, which is not time limited. In addition, we have a dedicated adaptations administration team to support Occupational Therapists and our clients.
- Gateshead Equipment Services – Provides equipment to support people in their own home.
- Promoting Independence Centres and Day Centres - offer intermediate care, in which the CROP team contribute to providing active therapy and opportunities for recovery and rehabilitation. We offer service users, an assessment of their needs and integrate with other services such as Domiciliary Care. Promoting Independence Centre’s allow carers to have a break, by offering respite for the person they care for. We also have a specialist resource for dementia sufferers, utilising a number of specialist communication techniques and approaches.
- We work in partnership with Health, Alzheimer’s Society, Falls Prevention Team, Neighbourhood Management and where appropriate Clinical Psychologists. There are regular workshops set up in the Promoting Independence Centre’s for carers and people in the community to share experience and knowledge. These centres work to the standards set by Commission for Social Care and Inspection and quality standards set for the service to support service users to be as independent as possible and involve other professionals and carers as much as possible.
- Business Support Teams - provides valuable business support across teams. We understand how each team operates and how business support, operate within this. There are some general day-to-day tasks but there are opportunities to become more involved in a more specialist approach to supporting teams e.g. budget management.
SERVICES FOR PHYSICAL DISABILITY
Currently our teams provide specialised support to meet the social care needs of the population. Our assessment functions for adults with disabilities are specialised within teams for physical disabilities, sensory impairment, mental health and learning disabilities providing assessment and care management/care co-ordination functions under the NHS and Community Care Act 1990.
We work to put choice and control increasingly in the hands of disabled people and their carers. The following teams ensure appropriate assessment and delivery of relevant services.
- Physical Disabilities Teams - Provides Care Management to adults under 65. This includes assessment and professional support to assist people with a variety of issues, palliative care, acquired brain injuries and hospital discharges. We work in partnership with health workers, case conferences and the team is part of the duty response for the council.
- Learning Difficulties Team – Provides Care management to adults under 65. This includes assessment and professional support for people to help them towards employment, training, housing issues and with POVA investigations through case conference etc. We work jointly with Community Health Teams, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and nurses who have an understanding of the needs of people with learning difficulties.
- Mental Health Teams - provides care management for people with mental health difficulties for people under 65. This includes professional assessment and support with a variety of issues.
- Sensory impairment Team - provides assessment and equipment to people of all ages with a sensory loss. We work in partnership with Sight Services.
- Community Bases and Community Bridge Building - models of day service provision for adults with disabilities. The aim of the Community Bridge Building is to promote the independence and well being of service users by increasing confidence, self- esteem and personal and social functioning; maximising service user’s strengths and aspirations. The service also includes Blaydon Day Centre, an integrated mental health and physical disability resource which also provides day services for people with mental health needs, aged over 65.
- Employment and Volunteer Services - offers a supported paid employment service for people with learning disabilities. We have a specialist team focusing on education and people who have mental health difficulties and learning disabilities. Our team support people in a number of ways from understanding what sort of employment the person wants, to helping them get the job and learning the job once they start.
- Reviewing Team - The team was set up in May 2007 within the disability service to ensure annual reviews are completed across mental health, learning disability and physical disability services As part of the Individual Budget initiative , the team ensures performance management of reviews, looking at outcomes, making sure resources are used in the best way and offering the opportunity to take up an Individual Budget for the management of own care and support.
- Transitions Team - provides support to people who have a disability or mental health problem, between the ages of 14-25 moving on into adult life. We support young adults in a number of ways, for example, helping a disabled person with housing issues or helping with transition issues when a young person moves on from college. We are part of the Individual Budgets initiative and have found new opportunities for service users as a result.
