Knowsley councillors have been updated on a programme to transform the services the Council provides to adults with complex care needs.
Members of the council’s Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny committee heard about the work to transform its Adult Provider Services – Knowsley Council’s in house provision of support for adults with learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, and other complex conditions.
Adult Provider Services (APS) include Day Services, Respite Care, Shared Lives – which recruits carers to provide home-based support for adults with care needs – and Supported Living.
Since 2022 work has been underway to re-focus the service offer to meet the needs of the most complex adults with assessed care and support needs. The programme also aims to establish the service as a provider of choice in the local complex care market.
The transformation has focused on several key areas, including:
- Workforce Development: A full review of the workforce led to a new structure and a focus on building a flexible team. Despite the challenges of recruiting in the social care sector, the service has successfully hired new managers and staff, reducing reliance on costly overtime and agency workers. A new training programme, which includes specialised courses and functional skills, ensures staff can provide high-quality, safe care.
- Quality and Inspection Readiness: The service is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and has a strong record of positive inspection ratings, including an “outstanding” rating in 2019 for its Shared Lives and Supported Living services. The team continues to prepare for the new CQC Single Assessment Framework (SAF) through a comprehensive quality improvement programme and staff training.
- Digital Reform: Services have transitioned from a paper-based system to modern digital social care records, improving efficiency and record-keeping. The implementation of an e-rostering system also streamlines the deployment of staff to meet the needs of those they support.
- Service Growth: The service is expanding its capacity to meet rising demand, particularly for young people transitioning from children’s services. In 2023, the Shared Lives service received investment to grow its offering to include adults with lower-level mental health needs. The service is also exploring options to create a dedicated emergency respite provision for adults with complex needs.
A new brand is being developed to reflect the council’s ongoing commitment to supporting adults with social care needs and reaffirm an approach which seeks to empower and enable each individual to participate and be involved in their local communities.
Scrutiny committee members noted progress made and agreed to support the continued growth of the APS offer.