CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE PROJECT

1. CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE PROJECT CREATING EFFICIENCIES and PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR ADULT SOCIAL CARE TEAM

2. TASKS UNDERTAKEN DURING THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT • Data gathering to understand the operation and business of adult social care in CSC • Data analysis to determine volume, actions and outcomes of operations • Process analysis and process adjustment to create capacity • Assistance with recruitment and induction process to assist with staff development and retention • Professional support on site to improve quality control • Benchmarking with other authorities • Promotion of improved relationships with other directorate teams

3. FINDINGS • The CSC adults social care team have dealt with 12,558 calls over a period of 3 months (see pie chart on next slide) • 173 of these calls received a direct service from CSC (home care variation and equipment repair/replace) • 4,004 of these calls resulted in referrals to fieldwork teams for assessment • A proportion of work (mainly letters and faxes from Health and other organisations) by-passes CSC and comes into area offices – approx 250 items per month • The area teams manage a daily duty system in parallel with CSC, with at least 16 full time officers across the county to deal with progress chasing, urgent interventions and work by-passing the CSC

5. WORK UNDERWAY TO CREATE CAPACITY AND IMPROVE QUALITY WITHIN CSC • Some of the audit processes within CSC are self imposed and unnecessary. These are gradually being eliminated in favour of electronic systems • AIS processes are slow and cumbersome to use. This is due to a combination of factors to do with screen content and technical difficulties. Further work is being done through the ESCR team and operational managers • CSC managers are working to improve the quality of information through closer relationships with fieldwork managers • Work has been done to improve the recruitment and induction process to better respond to the needs of the ASC service

6. WORK UNDERWAY TO CREATE CAPACITY AND IMPROVE QUALITY WITHIN CSC • Benchmarking with other authorities is confirming the way forward and is informing the development of an enhanced CSC to support the personalisation agenda • Promotion of improved relationships with other directorate teams is ongoing through staff induction, presentations, meetings and training in order to support the new model of working

7. WHAT CAN WE DO TO GENERATE MORE EFFICIENCIES AND IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE? • Evidence suggests these tasks could be completed at CSC with additional skill levels, training and protocols: • Referrals to Telecare directly from CSC • SmartCare clinics appointment system through CSC • Re-route letters/faxes from area offices to CSC • Introduction to Financial assessment • Assistance with self assessment facilities as developed • Minor equipment provision (Preventative agenda) • Scheduled telephone reviews

8. HOW WILL THIS SAVE MONEY? • Area offices currently deal with the processing (re-routing) of 100 Telecare referrals per month. Each of these takes 45 mins to process and make a referral • Area offices currently deal with the processing of 220 Smartcare referrals per month. Each of these takes 45 mins to process and make a referral • Area offices around the county currently deal with the processing of 250 letters and faxes from other organisations by-passing CSC • Some users receive chargeable services free through delays in process, misinformation or misunderstandings. Making a statement through the advisors would potentially allow the directorate to make estimated charges at an earlier stage • More money could potentially be saved by the introduction of early benefits advice via helpline.

9. HOW WILL THIS SAVE MONEY? • Providing people with a self assessment facility on line and assistance would drive forward the Preventative Agenda, whilst saving time wasted by FW teams assessing those who could and would have helped themselves with appropriate information • Minor equipment provision could assist with prevention of falls and risk management to delay entry into ASC system • Scheduled telephone reviews could be done consistently by CSC and relieve the area teams from prioritising urgent work alongside duties such as this – referrals generated from reviews could be dealt with immediately rather than going through Area Office and back to CSC

10. WHAT CAN WE DO TO GENERATE MORE EFFICIENCIES AND IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE? • The creation of a professional team within ASC would provide further efficiencies by generating capacity to: • Manage a central day time duty and emergency response system • Select, plan and refer for re-ablement • Encompass the SmartCare clinics • Deal with routine hospital discharges • Manage a professionals’ helpline • Provide closer links with specialist teams such as safeguarding, brokerage, carers team, FAB team, etc • Manage unscheduled reviews until support planning becomes mainstream

11. Fundamental Principles of New Model • Redesigned ASC pages on LCC website to eliminate a proportion of Avoidable Contacts • Triage system (automated or manual) to either signpost callers or allocate calls to appropriate group of CSC staff • Group of less experienced Advisors to handle Simple Interventions (detailed in light blue section) • Group of more experienced Advisors to handle Specialist Interventions (detailed in dark blue section) • Group of ASC ‘Professionals’ to provide County-wide Duty Desk and other work currently handled at Area Offices (detailed in red section)

12. Progress Chasingetc Preventable Avoidable Give Information Pass To Area Office Improved InformationWebsite Improved InformationWebsite- Improved Signposting - Service Pledge Specialist Intervention Simple Intervention Expert Adviceand guidance(Mental Health Interface) Single Episode Gather initialinformation FACS County-wideDuty SmartCareClinics Call Back(Multiple Episode) Information/Advice ProfessionalHelpline Short-termPackages UnscheduledReviews Telecare Assessment Bookings Enablement Approach SmartCare Clinic Bookings First Contact RoutineHospital Discharge EmergencyCarer’sService Callback to Letter/Fax/Email Request fromArea Office Minor Adjustments Selectand PlanRe-ablement Repair/Replace(Bereavement Journey) Preventative Equipment(grab rail, key safe, etc) Eligibility Financial Financial Assessments(Indicative RAS) Assist with Self Assess: - Smart Assist - Telecare - Blue Badge ScheduledPhone Reviews Arrange Short-termPackages ServiceUser STARR Single Triage And Rapid Response Professional Relative,etc

13. WHAT WOULD WE NEED TO DO THIS? • Professional ‘arm’ to CSC team using existing resources • Service Level Agreement to support a different way of working within CSC, Adult Social Care Team • Agreed triage facility through telephone system or through staff filtering system • Useable secure CSC dedicated email box • Dedicated professionals’ telephone line • Agreed facility to allow ‘call backs’ by experts

14. RECOMMENDATIONS The Putting People First Board should approve: • The early introduction of proposed additional tasks to the Adult Social Care team within CSC • The adoption of the proposed model • The creation of a service level agreement with CSC to support the development of the new model • The release and reconfiguration of resources to develop and manage the new specialist team model