FEATURE ADULT SOCIAL CARE
By ensuring that only those with the most complex and greatest need received double up interventions , this released 130,000 domiciliary care hours back into the system to be able to support other clients , a saving of £ 2.1 million .
While the provision of domiciliary care packages can be a sense of huge relief for some families , for others it can be an unwelcome disturbance of their family life and routines . The provision of the single-handed care devices allowed some families to continue caring for their loved ones , withdrawing the external support .
It was noted that this had a positive impact on the wellbeing of both client and carer , as it increased their dignity and privacy .
By enabling family members to provide the care tasks , then these could take place at a time that was convenient for the client and carer , allowing them to regain control over their family life and behavioural routines , rather than restricting these to the times that domiciliary care providers had capacity to attend .
In addition , there were situations where assessors had determined that double up packages of care were required , but family had refused the imposition of this and wished to continue caring by themselves , but risked injury in doing so , and there was the potential for safeguarding alerts to be raised .
The team was able to provide safe and effective single-handed care solutions in these situations , preventing not only the need for external support , but also the professional input required into a safeguarding investigation .
The provision of lateral turning devices , for some , negated the need for staff to visit clients during the night to turn them . This enabled these clients , but also their family , to have an uninterrupted night ’ s sleep . Work within the Discharge to Assess model supported the discharge of clients on pathway two , who were unable to return to their own home without additional assessment . This highlighted a need for alternative moving and handling devices , such as standing hoists , within these establishments , to reduce risk and enable safe transfers , but also to encourage clients ’ ability to weight bear and promote opportunities for them to return to mobilising .
The results of the project were shared with the council ’ s adult social care senior leadership team and this generated extra funding for an additional two members of staff to further extend the capacity of the team to continue with widening the project .
In summary , the success of the project continues and , with the provision of additional resources , there are opportunities to adapt it to other parts of the organisation to widen the impact to different cohorts of clients , including those with learning disability and also children ’ s services .
Single-handed care has become normal practice within adult social care , the new mantra is ‘ singlehanded care unless otherwise risk assessed ’.
However , as health and social care services are challenged with low staff retention , and new providers are entering the market , ongoing education is essential to keep the single-handed care message alive .
References
Age UK ( 2017 ) Briefing : Health and care of older people in England 2017 . Available online at :
www . ageuk . org . uk
Beer JM , Mcbride SE , Mitzner TL and Rogers WA ( 2014 ) Understanding challenges in the front lines of home health care : a human-systems approach . Applied Ergonomics . 45 ( I6 ), 1687-1699
Dr Anita Mottram , principal occupational therapist , Kirklees Council , and Sarah Thornton , ergonomist , Kirklees Council
46 OTnews July 2021