Councillors express their support for the hospital discharge and reablement work being provided by Care Dorset
Partnership work between Dorset Council and its local authority trading company Care Dorset is improving the quality of people’s care and enhancing hospital discharge services.
The Care Dorset Shareholder Committee meeting heard that residential care home bed occupancy levels at Care Dorset sites had risen from 65% when they took over the contract from former provider Tricuro last autumn to more than 90% in mid-June.
Steve Veevers, Care Dorset managing director, said: “We are making massive strides in supporting the system to ensure the right people who do need to go into residential care are having that as an available option, alongside significantly improved quality of service for these people. We are particularly pleased with our residential occupancy levels.”
Since last autumn nearly twice as many residents are being helped through Care Dorset’s reablement service (25-48/per week), and Mr Veevers praised the work the council’s commissioning staff, which is helping to develop services that are prioritising people’s independence.
“They are stepping into a really innovative space…making a real difference from start to finish.”
Mr Veevers said Care Dorset’s reablement bedded service was also helping people with higher needs who would have historically gone from hospital to a long-term care placement. Instead, they are going back home after a period of bed-based reablement.
Councillor Jane Somper, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Housing, welcomed the important work and enormous progress made by Care Dorset. She highlighted the recent CQC Reablement review, which gave Care Dorset a good rating.
“This is really strong and positive report and I have been really impressed with the way staff have been working alongside, not just Dorset Council commissioners, but other partners and the NHS to provide a better service for the people of Dorset.”
Councillor Spencer Flower, leader of the council and chair of the Care Dorset Shareholder committee meeting, said Care Dorset had made extremely good progress since its inception last autumn: “It’s a really great start and you should be commended on that.”
What a great idea. Mum recently had home care and a spell in Castleman plus. Both were really good and the reenablement home was brilliant. The staff were exceptional, encouraging, helpful and enabling Mum to return home. It had a wonderful atmosphere with home cooked food and nothing was to much trouble for any of the staff.
We need more of these facilties.