DELIVERING DIFFERENTLY WILL IMPROVE ACCESS TO SERVICES FOR PEOPLE IN BRIGG AREA

FROM SARAH HOWE, NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

In the latest move to deliver services differently, North Lincolnshire Council is looking to create a brand new team to provide care and support to people from hospital to home.
Part of the Delivering Differently in Neighbourhoods (DDiN) programme the council is currently piloting to move away from traditional ways of working, the project also aims to encourage people to use online services for advice and guidance.
This major project will explore different ways of working with town and parish councils, residents and professionals to help shape the way services are delivered in future.
The number of individuals that the council has been notified as ready to leave hospital with care and support needs has increased in the last year from 780 to over 1,074.
Research shows that people who do not receive rehabilitation and reablement services are more likely to need long term support more quickly and for longer.
The new team would work alongside the existing community support team to focus on the increased number of people in need of care and support following a hospital intervention.
Coun Julie Reed, Cabinet Member for Adults at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “North Lincolnshire Council is leading the way in the Yorkshire and Humber region with 85 per cent of people over 65 years old gaining rehabilitation/reablement within an average of four weeks. This makes this council the highest performing in the region.
“By investing now in an additional Community Support team, we will be able to assist more people when they come out of hospital to continue to live independent lives in their own homes.
“By working with other agencies, such as health and hospitals, we can provide the right support to suit their individual needs.”
Coun Richard Hannigan, Cabinet Member for Policy and Finance at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “We are giving people more power to access the services they need. In effect, we are helping people to better help themselves.
“This is a major overhaul of how we deliver support services. By involving other agencies, we can ensure we get it right.
“Besides demonstrating our commitment to older people, at the other end of the spectrum, we want to create a digital information hub with everything together in one place. This will enable anyone in North Lincolnshire to find out what services are available and how they can access them – making it more convenient.
“Town and parish councils play an important role in their communities as they are a direct source of advice in rural areas, so the appointment of three new parish clerks demonstrates a real commitment.
“Doing business digitally is the norm now. We don’t want people to get left behind so it is important that we look at different, more efficient ways of working that make it easier for people to access the services they need.”

N.F. ADDS: A worthy initiative.  No doubt this will be discussed by Brigg Town Council at one of its meetings in the near future. We'll keep you posted on what's happening locally.