1 December 2008 Good Evening

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Home care worker - new enhanced role Multi Agency Project, Leeds

The project has been used to embed new ways of working for Community Support Workers (previously Home Care workers). New JD’s and contracts were introduced to cover both health tasks (low level) and social care tasks and responsibilities i.e. hybrid role. The aim was to integrate health and social care home services to support the aim of preventing admission to hospital/residential care. Service users are mainly older people. The project has been managed by a steering group with members from Adult community Services, PCT, services user and voluntary/independent sector. This group has now been mainstreamed into the ‘Modernisation Board’

The community based services now have a model for integrated services. Policies and procedures have been developed across agencies, so that all community support workers are using the same, e.g. Manual Handling Policy. A lot of energy has gone into breaking down professional barriers. The main drivers have been the modernisation/change programme resulting from the White Paper.

Relevant NVQs were used to bring the new role workers up to a basic level and then training has been person centred on the needs of the service user. Training around health care tasks have been delivered by community health professional, and practice observed for competency.

There is now the intention to move to mainstreaming the project work into other areas of Leeds.