Providing support
This theme focuses on how we provide support ensuring its flexible and supports choice and continuity and how we work in partnership with others to achieve this.
Care provision, integration and continuity
Meaningful care and support
Supporting providers
During the last 12 months Coventry’s (Care Home and Community based Adult Social Care services) Care Quality Commissioning (CQC) ratings, have not changed too significantly. Although proportionally there has been a reduction in providers rated “good” this is because there has been an increase in providers within the market. The number of new providers registered in Coventry continues to grow, evidence of the growing appetite to develop the care market in the city.
Coventry CQC ratings - March 2024:
- 5-3.25% Outstanding
- 105-68.18% Good
- 39-25.32% Requires Improvement
- 5-3.25% Inadequate
The Joint Health and Social Care Quality Assurance Team work with operational colleagues to ensure the safety of individuals in receipt of support, including where provision was rated as ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’.
Recruitment and retention
Recruitment and retention within the care sector has it’s challenges. Over the course of the year the Commissioning Team have been taking a proactive approach to supporting recruitment within the care sector. A number of events have taken place, with the Job Centre+, the Job Shop, the Library, Care Leavers and Migration Team. The events have received positive feedback from providers with some being able to recruit then and there. It has also opened up conversations about working in the care sector. In July 2023 we worked in partnership with the Adult Education Team to promote the use of supported internships within Adult Social Care, supporting people who have had an Education, Health and Care Plan to undertake internships.
International recruitment
Recruitment from overseas of skilled workers forms an important part of the care market sector across the UK. In a sector that does struggle with recruitment, recruiting internationally can be beneficial, bringing in diversity, a range of skills and improved retention rates. However, the challenges of recruiting internationally are becoming more widely recognised, can be subject to exploitation and when things go wrong can create instability not only with the provision of good quality care but for those working within the profession (who have often had to make enormous sacrifices to take a job). In Coventry we wanted to find out more about the composition of our workforce and how many providers employ international recruits. The work involved adopting a “ONE Coventry” approach, working with partners, the Migration Team and Modern Day Slavery Team to understand the city’s position and how we can develop support for those recruited internationally. We were successful in a bid with Warwickshire County Council to receive some funding to develop our approach in partnership with West Midlands ADASS. With the funding we did the following;
- Funded a weekly drop in for international recruits
- Hosting webinars to inform providers of their legal obligations in recruiting overseas
- Supporting businesses to take on sponsorship of displaced employees (where the original sponsor has had their license revoked)
- Developed information available to help people understand exploitation and their rights working internationally
The project has given a renewed focus on the positives but also challenges of recruiting internationally and understanding the complexities of sponsorship. After the funding has ended the intention is to make a focus on international recruitment part of our normal business.
Market place events
Coventry is an everchanging city with a range of different organisations improving the lives of its residents. Last year we held our first voluntary sector market stall event, geared towards practitioners, providers and professionals, aiming to support networking and awareness of support in the community. The event was well attended with good feedback.
Top 25 - It’s not all bingo and karaoke in Coventry care homes
The adult commissioning team asked residential and housing with care providers to talk to their residents around identifying the “Top 25” things that would improve their quality of life. We know the care people receive is good, but we also wanted to understand what people felt would improve their quality of life, open up opportunities and understand some of the barriers faced by older people who wanted to remain active and engaged in their communities.
Seventeen services responded and over 200 residents identified over 500 activities they would like to do but felt unable to, used to do and no longer did, or activities they would like to do more of if barriers were removed. We asked staff to encourage residents to be “creative” and “think the impossible”, the results were interesting … Top of the list was all about getting out for the day, day trips to the beach, to markets, museums closely followed by more time enjoying the arts, going to the theatre, galleries and music. Residents wanted access to fitness equipment and to learn how to play a musical instrument. It wasn’t surprising that gardening was popular, but people felt they had little opportunity to do it now and with Coventry being a motor town the message that participants missed driving was clear, one lady in her ‘80’s desperately wanted to drive an HGV! The big message from this engagement was that residential care home and housing with care residents had a real desire to exercise both their minds and their bodies and wanted to do activities that pushed them out of their comfort zone.
We now need to work with our partners and providers to resource some of these opportunities and break down the barriers that are stopping people from getting out, about and doing something exciting!
Aleem, Nathan and Rachel
A sweet future!
Hello my name is Aleem. I was born in Coventry and lived there until I was 12 years old. I used to spend time with my family and then with foster carers, before moving to a Children’s home in Derbyshire in July 2018. This was my first time in a children’s home, I really liked it there, especially going to all different activities and living with friends some were also from Coventry. The adults at the Children's home are now my lifelong links and I text them all and sometimes go out with them. I learnt a lot and went to various different clubs including; football, cadets and youth club. I also went on work experience whilst at school and got a part time job from it. I had lots of fun there and felt sad when I knew I had to leave. When leaving I wanted to continue all my clubs, college and work, which moving to Nathan and Rachel’s house allowed me to do this.
When I turned 18 years old I did not want to leave my home. There was a possibility that I would need to return to Coventry when I was an adult, I wanted to stay where I knew, I had been there for over 5 years, and I would miss everybody a lot. Having different adults around me gave me the chance to do things with other people. When my social worker told me that Nathan would like to offer me a place to live with him and his family, I was very happy to be living with somebody I knew as I was not ready to live alone If it wasn’t for Nathan offering me a home, things could have been different for me. I do not think living in Coventry was a good idea, I would have had to leave college, moved away from my clubs including football team and been away from adults I know who care about me and can help me when I need it.
When I was offered a ‘Shared Lives’ placement with Nathan and Rachel I was excited and when I started visiting their home and seeing their son and Ruby the dog it started to feel very good. I am the sugar to their sweet, this makes them smile when I say that as their surname is Sweet.
I like living with Nathan and Rachel, I go to family events such as birthday parties, I go for meals with everybody, and we have been to Centre Parcs with their friends and we’re going on a family holiday to Bulgaria which I have never been to. I continue doing my regular activities and I have been to watch lots of football matches with Nathan including a European Semi Final. I have continued with my job, and we’ve had lots of fun. I have not thought about the future and where I will be going because I like living with them, I hope they’ll be involved in my life if I want to move on and become more independent.
Nathan and Rachel share their family life
When it came to Aleem turning 18, Nathan and Rachel were keen to see if they could provide support for his future. They found out about the Shared Lives Scheme, a service that helps people to be supported within family homes.
We supported Aleem during Ramadan and Nathan also completed period of Ramadan with Aleem before celebrating Eid, Aleem has a lot in the local community such as; college, work, football and friendship and we thought it was vital for these to continue allowing Aleem to receive education and earn money as well as being around people he knows well". "The future is something which is scary for everybody, our hope is that Aleem lives within our home for as long as he needs and then when he wants to move on he can move to somewhere that we can continue to support and he comes for dinner, holidays and spend time with us, like lots of people leaving their home it is still their home and celebrations and trips away they come back for and we would love Aleem to be able to pop in and it still be his home even when he moves on.
The Shared Lives Scheme would like to thank Aleem, Nathan and Rachel for sharing their story and for being open and honest about their journey. Life can take many turns and can sometimes make us anxious and unsure of the future. The scheme is proud to share such a warm and inspiring story, one that we are sure will continue to be “Sweet” for Aleem.
Shared Lives offers adults the opportunity to live with approved Carers in ordinary family homes, experiencing all the advantages, joys and sometimes difficulties of family life. If you feel you could change someone’s life whilst enhancing your own, and are interested in becoming a Shared Lives Carer, or wish to know more about the scheme please visit our website.
Developing new services
Love4Life Coventry
Helps people learn new skills, form friendships, and find love
Love4Life is a member-led network for people with learning disabilities and autism, which launched in Coventry in May 2023. Love4Life events help members to learn new skills and make new friends, with some friendships developing into romantic relationships.
One Coventry member, James, confided in staff after a workshop about scams that he’d been scammed through online dating. The team supported him to access free “Cyber Bobby” training, which has increased his knowledge of online crime and reduced his vulnerability. James has taken the advice on board and now knows how to watch out for signs of potential scams. Two members, Callum and Rebecca, met at a Love4Life event in September last year and became friends instantly. Whilst getting to know each other they decided that they would like to start dating. The pair are delighted with their new-found relationship – Callum said:
If we didn’t go to Love4Life, we wouldn’t have met. Rebecca is a kind, honest, beautiful lady.
Rebecca added:
I’m glad I met Callum at an event because I am happy now.
Callum and Rebecca were both very shy when they started coming along to Love4Life, but their confidence has grown hugely since then. Callum has really come out of his shell and is now regularly found laughing and joking with his friends at Love4Life. Rebecca was initially accompanied by her mum but is now confident enough to come along to events independently. Many of the members now catch up regularly outside of Love4Life, having met at one of these events.
Jon Reading Head of Commissioning and Quality said:
Maintaining and improving the quality of Adult Social Care provision in the city is a major undertaking but we are lucky to have a joint quality function with clinical input from quality nurses adding strength to our Council team. We are privileged in having a great set of providers who share our passion for delivering compassionate care and promoting independence of service users and we have continued to support them through recruitment initiatives. It is also heartening to see initiatives that really improve the quality of life of people that we support through provision of meaningful activities.
Partnerships and communities
Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub
In last year’s Annual Report, we introduced our newly created Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub, a place where people with Dementia and their families can come for information, support and engagement from pre-diagnosis onwards, with an emphasis on partnerships and promoting independence and peer support. At the heart of the Hub is a social café, offering a space for people to meet and share experiences in a welcoming and comfortable environment.
It’s a year on since we opened the Hub and what a year it has been! We are excited and delighted to share the following pictures and snippets of the types of activities and services the Hub is providing to the community living with Dementia in Coventry. The Hub was created following a series of engagement and coproduction events and this continues through the Hub’s Steering Group, supporting the development of the service with contributions from those with lived experience One of the Hub’s Steering Group members Ruth Chauhan, Director/ Dementia, Health & Well-being Specialist: AmbaCare Solutions Community Interest Company said:
It has been a privilege to be a member of the Steering Group at the Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub since before it opened last year and ongoing. It gives me the opportunity, as someone living with dementia, to show that it is possible to make a positive contribution to service delivery. I have always felt that there is no distinction made on the Steering Group between those of us living with dementia and bringing our lived experience and the ‘professionals’ and that we all have an equal voice. I always feel that my input is respected and valued. Being on the Steering Group opened the doors for me to set up and run a very well attended dementia inclusive Meaningful Moments Social Group every week with a carers’ support group running alongside.
Dave, a member of the Steering Group and a person who has been involved from the very beginning and instrumental in the creation of the Hub said:
The Hub is a place where likeminded people can fellowship together and look no different. I am still me.
Hilda's story
Hilda and her niece Pauline tell us in their own words about the impact the service is making.
I enjoy the company of others, chatting and reminiscing about the past, sharing tea and snacks (I have a sweet tooth). I am independent with personal care, but at times need the reassurance of someone watching me go up and down stairs. I was born in Coventry and lived on Lentons Lane until I married John and moved to where I currently live. I am a widow, and despite having no children have an incredibly supportive and caring family. My niece Pauline, along with her husband Paul and family help with domestic issues e.g. shopping, laundry etc.
I had a busy working life, I was employed at Lucas Aerospace as a Wirer and Chargehand and was also a Union Rep until retirement. I come from a large family of 10 and have fond memories of childhood and into adulthood, remembering the enjoyable parties and social gatherings. I still enjoy music and can recall the happy times dancing with my husband John. I had many hobbies and interests during married life; fishing, going to support Coventry City Football Club with family, going to watch Brandon Bees at the Speedway. I love to reminisce about past family holidays and holidayed abroad every year with my husband and sister. As recently as 2000 I went to Florida with Pauline and her family.
Hilda’s outreach sessions started in June 2023 and have proved to be of benefit to Hilda and her family. The feedback from Pauline, Hilda’s niece is testament to this as they messaged the team to say:
On behalf of Paul and myself we would like to thank you so much for your kindness to Hilda and you made her feel so happy. All the family would like to say thank you.
Find out more about the Hub’s activities.
For any enquiries regarding the services provided by the Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub please contact CDPH@coventry.gov.uk or call 024 7697 8080.
Striving for Cultural Inclusion
My name is Shashi. I am the chair of the Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub (CDPH)- Culturally Inclusive Subgroup. The Culturally Inclusive subgroup work is primarily focused on addressing the barriers preventing people from diverse communities accessing support and services at the Dementia Hub.
It is widely recognised that there are obstacles to seeking support for dementia from diverse communities including stigma, culturally sensitive care and unmet needs. This can result in significantly less effective dementia care from statutory services compared to their counterparts from White British communities despite these communities being at much greater risk of developing dementia, and therefore are more likely to present in crisis and/or at a later stage.
People are more likely to face barriers including;
- late or missed diagnosis
- reduced access to treatments
- inappropriate or inadequate support
- problems caused by language barriers
- relying on non-specialist local, community-led organisations for support
The subgroup aims to raise the awareness and understanding of dementia among ethnic minority groups and to promote equality/ equity, diversity, and inclusion to enable fair opportunity to be involved, have access to resources and treatment and work collaboratively with the Steering group of the Dementia Hub.
If you are interested in supporting/getting involved in our work, please contact Lena Tovey on Valena.Tovey@coventry.gov.uk. We are particularly keen to hear from people who can speak a second language like Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Bengali or Swahili, and/or from a diverse background such as the South Asian, Somalian, Kenyan, Tanzanian or Zanzibar communities.
Punjabi themed day at the Hub
The Hub hosted a Punjabi themed day as an opportunity for people to get together and share experiences and information in an informal setting at the hubs Social Café space. The day hosted by Coventry Lions coincided with the Fire Service and Home Instead drop-in so they were able to offer advice to visitors and the Young Onset Dementia Group coffee morning attendees also popped in!
Celebrating our success - Awards for the Dementia Hub
The Dementia Care Awards recognise and celebrate excellence in dementia services, honouring the hard work and dedication of those in the field but also serve as a platform for sharing best practices and innovative approaches. April Ross, a manager in Adult Services who helped to set up the Dementia Hub, has picked up a national Dementia Co-Production and Partnership Award on behalf of the team, partners and individuals who are all part of the Holbrooks-based Hub. Dave Atkins who is on the Steering Group at Dementia Hub, won the Inspirational Person Living with Dementia Award. Two of the partners of the Hub, Sky Blues in the Community and Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, were 'highly commended', for the same category for their Dementia Active work across the city including the Hub. April Ross, Service Manager and one of the key leaders in the creation on the Hub, reflecting back on the first year said:
It is incredible to see how the Hub has gone from strength to strength, our partners have been integral to its success by creating new service offers either on their own at the hub or jointly with others. Our dementia champions have taken the lead on various projects including the peer support sessions that have grown with of mix of people with dementia, carers and professionals all choosing to join in with no distinction made as to who is the person with dementia and who isn’t, a truly inclusive support group. The staff team have been amazing in embracing the changes and championing the Hub’s ethos that you can live well with Dementia. I am looking forward to what the next 12 months bring.
What’s next for the Dementia Hub?
Our plans continue to build on the good work so far undertaken at the Hub to ensure we reach more people needing support and guidance and the following are in development:
- Expanding support for those with Young Onset Dementia and people with Learning Disabilities who receive a diagnosis of Dementia
- Further development of cultural inclusivity to increase faiths, cultures and languages represented and supported
- Work with Public Health and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire to improve accessibility to the service
- Increasing activities available at the Hub e.g. singing and physical activities
- The creation of a Carers Peer Support Group, utilising those with lived experience
The Hub will also be making a bid for Lottery Funding to ensure the ongoing financial sustainability of the service. Finally, later in 2024 the Hub is very proud to be featuring in a Commonwealth report on Multi-Sector Collaboration along with Essex and Birmingham Local Authorities highlighting the good work being undertaken in community partnerships to support the older population.
For any enquiries regarding the services provided by the Coventry Dementia Partnership Hub please contact CDPH@coventry.gov.uk or call 024 7697 8080.
Lisa Lawson, Programme Manager, Adult Services says of the success of the Hub's first year;
The Dementia Hub team deserve the recognition and praise received for this first year of delivering such a positive impact to the community. This is a real example of co-production and one which I’m sure will continue to grow and develop.