ADULT SOCIAL CARE FEATURE mantra ‘ double-up unless otherwise risk assessed ’ was frequently heard .
However , with the onset of new technology and an influx of assistive devices , the single-handed care movement began . As more councils conducted their own single-handed care projects , the benefit of single-handed care was realised .
Statement of issue In 2016 , the social care landscape looked like that of the current COVID-related climate . Increasing demands on social care services had placed untenable pressures on the home care workforce .
Reduction in core funding , a growing aging population and recruitment and retention issues ( Age UK , 2017 ; Beer et al 2014 ; CQC 2017 ; CLGC 2017 ; UKHCA 2016 ; Skills for Care 2017 ; ADASS 2017 ) led to a rising number of people waiting for packages of home care . These factors prompted the development of the single-handed care project within the council .
The aim of the project was to increase capacity of the current workforce by releasing valuable care hours back into social care services , where alternative solutions would meet the client ’ s needs .
The moving and handling team worked with the client , their family and provider services to review and risk assess moving and handling tasks . Where suitable , systems of work were redesigned to facilitate single-handed care implementation , which included the introduction of assistive devices .
Carers were provided with training and education which supported the process and reduced any of their anxieties .
The team and the project The Moving and Handling Team led on this piece of work , providing an assessment , training , and advisory service to providers of adult social care within the Kirklees locality . The team ’ s ethos lies within physical , cognitive , and organisational ergonomics and their expertise in these areas has contributed to the ongoing success of the project .
Led by Sarah Thornton , the council ’ s ergonomist , the project evolved over time to promote single-handed care practises across a wider range of services and organisations .
A pilot scheme identified the potential for the implementation of single-handed care and tested the design of the roll out . After delivering a series of single-handed care awareness training sessions for care providers , social care assessors and therapists , the roll out commenced in 2017 .
The first phase involved systematically reviewing existing doubleup care packages within commissioned home care services .
Although successful , what soon became apparent was the high volume of new ‘ double-ups ’ coming into the service . These were primarily for individuals discharged from hospital .
It became clear that the team needed to move its focus , so the project was expanded to encompass our local acute trusts . The aim was to embed single-handed care practises within hospital practice . This would avoid the over prescription of handlers before a care package begins , in turn facilitating the discharge process as it was easier for care providers to arrange a single handler rather than double ups .
‘‘
The aim of the project was to increase capacity of the current workforce by releasing valuable care hours back into social care services , where alternative solutions would meet the client ’ s needs .
Initially , support was provided around single-handed care awareness training and procurement of assistive devices . The team worked closely to support hospital-based social care assessors and therapists in their discharge planning .
Reviews of clients discharged from hospital , as part of the Home First , Discharge to Assess model , were also undertaken .
In 2020 , the project expanded once again to incorporate the council ’ s Integrated Night
Service . Clients were reviewed to identify where single-handed care devices would negate the need for night-time calls , thereby offering a less intrusive solution for clients and their families .
Challenges The team has faced challenges and frustrations along the way : embedding single-handed care into the wider systems presented some difficulties ; and the range of singlehanded care devices available in the hospitals was far less than those available in the community .
Providing support and funding around procurement has reduced this gap . In some areas , there was , and still is , a reluctance to accept single-handed care practises . The high staff turnover amongst health and social care services results in short-term organisational memory . Although training , education and persistence goes a long way to keep the single-handed care message alive , these need to be ongoing .
Outcomes achieved The remit of the Care Act is to ensure that the solutions identified are the most proportionate and least restrictive . The assessor also needs to ensure that they provide safe forms of practice and that consent is obtained from the client to introduce these changes .
There were many outcomes from this project that benefited both the client and carer and also the organisation .
Demand for domiciliary care provision was variable across the council ’ s geographical area and could create bottlenecks in transfers of care , preventing people being discharged from hospital in a timely manner .
OTnews July 2021 45