DN561088 Older Carer Life Transition - Pilot

Tender description

The recent Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) undertaken for Liverpool has highlighted that issues observed nationally can be seen locally. A key theme of the review was the evident lack of support for family carers (including the offer of a carers assessment) particularly for older carers, carers supporting more than one person and for carers of people who were not accessing formal care and support packages. This suggests not only apparent failures within the system but also a reluctance of older carers to actively seek support with their caring role or to plan for the future. We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted on certain groups of people, as a result of age and health inequalities. Carers have also been significantly impacted particularly by the lack of social capital in the form of information and advice and support for carers not known to the health and social care system to have a contingency plan that meets their needs and they feel confident they can rely on. Therefore, it is well understood that for numerous reasons older carers often only seek support when in a crisis and that this reluctance to engage in proactive planning leads to an increased risk of requiring expensive crisis placements. Often as a result of limited information about the person’s need and the speed of which an assessment is required, placements can be over-commissioned in order to safely manage any presenting risks. We know that social admissions to an acute setting for people with dementia or other complex needs are longer due to the person’s complex needs and can be disorienting and distressing for the individual and their carers. Unfortunately, there is little coding data for this known issue. This proposal meets the criteria of the current spending freeze, as it will enable the Council to fulfil its statutory obligations in respect of carers as set out within the Care Act 2014 by developing effective, efficient and new approaches to working with older carers to support them to maintain their role for as long as their wish and are able as well as supporting them to plan for when their caring role comes to an end. For this to occur in a planned manner will prevent crisis situations and more costly social care interventions for the cared for person. This will also reduce inappropriate hospital admissions for the cared for person. Therefore, this has significant longer term invest to save potential. This has been approved by the spend freeze panel. This is a pilot service to develop effective, efficient and new approaches to working with older carers who need to plan for when their caring role comes to an end. To undertake this effectively requires an existing applied understanding of current systems and processes and is urgently required due to inequalities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic for this cohort, which was not foreseen. Ideally for maximum impact, the pilot requires an in depth knowledge and understanding of the system but by a provider that can offer the role of the critical friend and support the delivery goal of improvements as an operator alongside the system, rather than an operator already directly within, which Brain Charity meet. Therefore, this exemption should be permissible in line with paragraph 4.2 of LCC Contract Standing Orders.