Provider Engagement Session: “The Front Door” – Improving the first point of contact with Reading Adult Social Care.

Organisation
Reading Borough Council (RBC)
Author
Melissa Wise, Deputy Director
Article date
17 November 2022
Primary interest
Not specified

Reading Borough Council is interested in working with Voluntary Sector Partners and others to enhance the Adult Social Care ‘Front Door’: the first point of contact for the Councils’ Advice & Wellbeing Hub.

We are inviting you to an engagement session to tell you more about our vision and requirements, get your feedback and thoughts and answer any questions.

 

If you want to attend the meeting contact soon.heshe@reading.gov.uk and request the link to the Microsoft Teams Meeting.
This will be on the 30th of November 2022, 9am – 11am.

Please see further detail below:

Background:

  • Reading’s Adult Social Care Directorate has seen an increasing number of people needing our support. It will be no surprise that this puts significant pressure on services and we are keen to look at how we make best use of our resources for the benefit of all our residents.
  • Many people approach the Council for support that is already available in the community; or could be developed with a collective approach. With early intervention at difficult times, people can continue to be independent, draw on their strengths, recognise their own resilience and the resources offered by their family, friends and local community. This may mean that they will no longer need Adult Social Care intervention and the Council will be able to focus on the people in greatest need.
  • Using evidence of best practice and our own experience we would like to enhance our Front Door by involving the Voluntary Community Sector at an earlier stage in the customer journey.

The aim of our new model:

  • We would like to commission an organisation or partnership to be the first point of contact for people coming to Adult Social Care – in other words, the welcome service for Adult Social Care
  • We will want this organisation to provide initial advice and guidance, signpost people to other organisations and support groups that may be able to help, ensure they access it and look at the development of small support groups and community provision to meet small groups of individuals needs.
  • The organisation will need to be well connected and work closely with other organisations in Reading.
  • They will work to a strength based model, working alongside the person and guiding them to find support and opportunities in the community, whilst enabling them to lead an independent life.
  • The organisation will be able to support people who need both signposting and/or support from the community as well as Adult Social Care support – so this will not necessarily be an either/or model.
  • They may order minor equipment like grab rail fittings and refer to the Technology Enabled Care Trusted Assessor for occupational therapy assessments.
  • They will listen and connect people, walking alongside the person on their journey and provide follow up until the desired outcome is reached.
  • The Council is keen that this service will be developed and delivered in an ethos of partnership (whilst recognising clear roles and responsibilities) and ongoing learning.
  • We expect to provide training and support over the initial few months to achieve the best outcomes for residents; for this to taper as the organisation grows and flourishes but for there always to be a closem working relationship.
  • With training, the organisation should expect to use the Adult Social Care case management system and potentially a digital VCS Signposting Platform.

Contract outline:

  • We hope to have identified an organisation to work with us from 1st June 2023 and for the contract to run to 31st October 2025.
  • We expect the overall contract value will be in the region of £480,000 to £490,000.

Working timeline:

    Engagement and final decisions about requirements – October to January 2023
    Formal tender process starts – 30/01/2023
    Bidding window: 30/01/2023 – 03/03/2023
    Contract award: 28/04/2023
    Contract start: 01/06/2023

Implementation post contract start:

    Mutual learning session: 19/06/2023
    Mutual learning session follow up: 24/07/2023
    Further meetings to be agreed as needed.
    Contract end: 31/10/2025

Again, if you would like to join this session, please confirm your attendance, or if you have any related questions prior to the meeting, please contact: Soon Heshe, Transformation Project Manager (soon.heshe@reading.gov.uk)

We are looking forward to seeing you!