Support for adult social care providers

Who we work with

Our Supporting the Provider Market Team works with:

• local providers delivering adult social care services
• providers or services linked to hospital discharge or admission avoidance

How we can help

We can offer a range of support:

• recruitment and retention: support to help you address any challenges in the recruitment and retention of staff for particular geographic areas or market sectors
• staff training and development: help fill training gaps for your staff and managers to meet our strategic and operational priorities, includes issues such as hospital discharge requirements and enabling people to receive care closer to home
• proactive support: early intervention to resolve service delivery issues and avoid us having to intervene later
• technology and innovation: help to explore innovative options using the latest technology to develop services, create efficiencies and improve service delivery

The support we offer to local adult social care providers is free of charge and there is currently no charge for training courses.

If you would like support in any of these areas please contact us.

Support for preventing falls

We work with adult social care providers in a number of different areas including falls prevention, which is linked to the countywide falls strategy. There are a number of resources available for service users/residents and their families and for professionals/ providers.

Resources useful for you to share with your service users/residents and their families.

• We provide information for the public about falls on our Prevent slips, trips and falls page.
• Get up and go - a guide to staying steady offers useful advice on maintaining balance, exercises for improving strength plus other hints and tips. 

Resources available for professionals and providers.

• The React to falls (in care homes) website provides advice on reducing the risks of falls in your care home.
• The County Durham Care Academy offers falls training to local adult social care providers through the Social Care Information and Learning Service (SCILS) - see our Training and support for adult social care staff page.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: falls in older people - assessing risk and prevention provides guidelines that cover assessment of fall risk and interventions to prevent falls in people aged 65 and over. It aims to reduce the risk and incidence of falls and the associated distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence and mortality.
• Gov.uk: falls - applying All Our Health

Technology funding for providers

We have been allocated Discharge funding as part of the Better Care Fund (BCF). The main purpose of the BCF Discharge funding is to provide increased investment in social care and community capacity to support discharges from hospital and free up hospital beds. We have made available funding for some key providers to receive up to 50% of the cost of an Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) system to result in safe administration and recording of medications. This use of a digital record will create efficiencies in staff capacity that will support providers to accept referrals for hospital discharges and have the additional benefit of supporting providers to deliver safe care to people discharged from hospital.

Please note:

• The funding is to implement an eMAR as a new system (ie we will not fund an eMAR system that is already in use by the provider before the date of this agreement).
• Our contribution is non-recurrent funding, and any ongoing costs are the responsibility of the provider.
• The provider is responsible for undertaking adequate research to ensure the software / product they purchase will meet their needs and provide effective medication management in line with any CQC requirements.
• Some system providers may charge monthly for this service, but the evidence needed for this fund is the total cost for one year, from implementation. Invoices from suppliers should show this annual cost.
• We will pay their contribution on receipt of appropriate evidence of spend within agreed timescales.
• If final costs exceed the agreed amount, then the provider will be responsible for the additional costs (ie we will only fund the amount stated in the grant agreement).
• Evaluations will take place in two rounds; to allow those providers who are ready to progress to do so promptly, and to allow other providers time to research and decide on the most suitable eMAR system that will best fit their care home requirements

Applications for this funding will close on 7 June 2024. For further guidance and to receive an application form please contact us.