Connected Care brings together health
and social care services as well as housing, education, employment
to provide a wide range of support that covers both universal
services and more targeted provision for those with specific
needs.
This brochure gives more detail of the ideas behind our
Connected Care concept:
Connected Care: Giving people and communities what they want (pdf -
357k)
The first pilot of Connected Care is taking place in the Owton
ward in Hartlepool, which is recognised as one of the most
seriously deprived areas in the country.
Origins of Connected Care
Meeting Complex Needs: the Future of Social Care, was published
jointly by Turning Point and ippr (Institute for Public Policy
Research) in 2004. It outlines the reality of how those individuals
with the most complex needs, are failed by existing provision of
health and social services. Turning Point is striving to develop
services that provide bespoke social care to individuals in their
communities. These services address the 'whole person', meeting
their complex needs in terms of breadth (range of need) and depth
(severity of need). This new model of delivery, Connected Care, has
the potential to bridge the gap between health and social care
while ensuring that local communities are directly influencing and
assisting in the redesign of services. Download the report here:
ippr and Turning Point: Meeting complex needs report (pdf -
624k)
Turning Point has been applying the theory of government
thinking on integrated health and social care to practical
situations. The Green Paper on Adult Social Care cites Connected
Care as an "innovative model of service delivery with the potential
to bridge the gap between health and social care while ensuring
that local communities are directly influencing and assisting in
the redesign of services". The White Paper on integrated health
and social care in turn, cited Connected Care as an example of
commissioning responsive services in the poorest
neighbourhoods.
The White Paper (Our Health, Our Care, Our Say)
(link to Department of Health website)
The Green Paper (Independence, well-being, and choice) (link to
Department of Health website)
The concept of Connected Care fits with the themes set in the
Government's White Paper on integrated health and social care and
supports its implementation. It also links to the government
priorities around tackling poverty and social exclusion, based on a
firm understanding of the aspirations of each local community. The
Government is committed to bringing about a sustained re-alignment
of the whole health and social care system. It envisages services
delivered in settings closer to home, giving people real choice in
primary, health and social care and services integrated around the
needs of individuals. It sees a new direction for the 'whole
system' of health and social care.
Connected Care and the White Paper, "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say:
a New Direction for Community Services" (pdf - 36k)
The Connected Care audit
The first stage
of delivering a Connected Care service consist of a Connected Care
audit to determine the needs and aspirations of local residents,
current service users and carers and their perceptions about
patterns and structures of current services including the
composition and roles of the current workforce. This is used to
inform a Connected Care specification. Turning Point carried out
its first audit in Owton, Hartlepool. You can read the results of
the audit here:
Owton audit report (pdf - 276k)
The Connected Care audit is based on the Connected Care
framework tool. The aim of the framework is to use it as an
established tool to gain a range of views about the health and
social care needs of the community, identifying what works well and
what needs to be improved upon in terms of finding out and
accessing services.
Connected Care audit tool (pdf - 78k)
Evaluation
Connected Care has been
regularly and rigorous monitored and will also provide a model that
is evaluated and can be replicated in other areas. An independent
evaluation is being carried out by the University of Durham in
order to assess the effectiveness of the Connected Care
service.
Evaluation report (pdf - 42k)
Centre of Excellence
Turning Point has set
up a Centre of Excellence to act as a national body that champions
Connected Care. It will provide policy advice, assistance and
support in reconfiguring existing services and in commissioning a
Connected Care service, training, and produce best practice
briefings and guidance publications on Connected Care.
A Concept for a Centre of Excellence for Connected Care (pdf -
63k)
Visit the Centre of
Excellence website