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Homecare Re-ablement Toolkit

Added: 08/02/2010
Updated: 17/03/2011

About this toolkit

CSED has put together this toolkit to help councils looking to introduce a new homecare re-ablement service or extend or improve an existing service.

It has been developed as a practical project support to councils and builds on extensive work done by CSED in:

  • compiling a body of evidence on how homecare re-ablement services are helping to appropriately reduce the level of ongoing homecare support required

  • working actively with councils to identify successful approaches, learning points and best practice

Toolkit contents

Organised into nine main sections, the toolkit tackles each of the critical aspects of designing and implementing a successful homecare re-ablement service. It covers both the rationale, benefits and different approaches, as well as project and service management, including tips, templates and case study examples to give practical help to council teams.

There are eight project steps that help lead to successful homecare re-ablement services:

  1. Setting the vision for a homecare re-ablement service
  2. Building a business case for homecare re-ablement
  3. The high level pathway - designing the optimum customer route through social care services
  4. Applying process design to homecare re-ablement services
  5. Developing the team and skills
  6. Establishing an effective performance management system to track and measure the service
  7. System and form design
  8. Implementing the new service - change and project management
  9. In-house versus outsourced provision

The eight project steps follow a logical sequence from setting the initial vision through to project managing the implementation. Users of the toolkit can choose to follow the sections in sequence or access individual sections as required. Each section includes cross-references and links to other content where appropriate.

In-house services versus outsourced provision

A new Section 9 added to the toolkit in March 2011 looks at the outsourcing of homecare re-ablement services and sets out the issues for councils to consider when adopting this approach.

More about homecare re-ablement

Homecare re-ablement complements the work of intermediate care services, focusing on skills for daily living. It is a key policy priority for health and social care, as one of a range of re-ablement services that, through short term intervention, help people recover skills and confidence to live at home after an episode of poor health, admission to hospital, or bereavement. (see A Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens, DH, November 2010).

Additional funding is going to the NHS between 2010/11 and 2012/13 for re-ablement as post-discharge support. Following an acute hospital episode recovery may involve homecare re-ablement together with other services such as physiotherapy, intervention by a dietician, etc - whatever the person needs following acute care to get them back to or improve upon the position they were in before the acute hospital phase. (see Appendix 3 of Dear Colleague letter, NHS Support for Social Care, 13 January 2011/123463).

Speaking at the 5th International Carers' Conference in July 2010, Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley said "We must place renewed emphasis on keeping people as independent as possible for as long as they feel able, not least by providing earlier support... We have to maximise the potential of re-ablement, telecare and other innovations which can dramatically improve people's lives while also being highly efficient... We need to accelerate this change so that these services and this approach is the norm".

You can find more information on the background to homecare re-ablement and CSED's detailed research and discussion papers via the following links.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks go to the many councils whose experience has shaped our knowledge and understanding of homecare re-ablement and its benefits. We particularly want to thank those councils who have given us their direct contributions to this toolkit.