Call for evidence from residential providers

Sue Ryder, working with its Department of Health voluntary sector strategic partners the National Care Forum (NCF) and the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), has commissioned personalisation specialists Groundswell Partnership, to write a paper exploring best practice in residential care as part of their work being a strategic partner with the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England.

There will always be a role for residential care and the paper will explore the possibilities for care of this type. The report will also inform Demos’ Residential Care Commission, led by Paul Burstow MP and highlight examples of best practice in residential care, including how to make personalisation work for people who live in residential and nursing care homes.

As the report will highlight some of the best practice across the spectrum of current residential and nursing provision, Groundswell Partnership are looking to conduct a small number of case studies with providers in the sector who have made significant progress in delivering personalised support for people with complex needs in residential settings.

They are keen to hear from providers who would be willing to share their experience with them and speak to an independent researcher from Groundswell to share their stories. For each case study they will be looking to talk to people using services, family carers as well as frontline staff and service managers.

They are interested in hearing from providers of residential care for people of all different ages and needs who have made progress in one or more of the following areas

• Increasing levels of Choice and control for people living in residential settings;
• Delivering person centred care and support and using person centred thinking and practice tools;
• Use of Individual Service Funds to disaggregate funding down to an individual level;
• Co-production, democracy and citizenship – giving people using services a clear and tangible say in how services develop over time and using information in aggregate form to drive strategic development of services;
• Supporting people into paid or voluntary work;
• Understanding and harnessing the gifts and talents of people using services and providing opportunities for people to use those gifts skills and talents to give something back to their local community;
• Connecting people to communities and making use of community resources to break down stigmatisation and prejudice between social groups;
• Innovative and person centred building and interior design in residential care provision;
• Use of assistive technology to enhance people’s independence and their social networks;
• Sharing the specialist knowledge within residential services to support people with care needs within local communities to live at home, e.g. through providing respite care, or outreach training provision; or
• The development of innovative services within a residential setting.

In selecting case study themes it is important that they demonstrate high quality care, respond to reputational challenges, and demonstrate innovative practice that pertains particularly to a residential setting.

If you are interested in taking part in this project contact Simon Stockton by email at simon@groundswellpartnership.co.uk by no later than Friday 29 November.

Case study research will take place during December 2013 and January 2014 ideally so you will need to be available during these times.