Last year we shared the news we had received funding to help us become a more modern and resilient council. We have been involved in the Future Council pilot and five nationally funded projects:
- Planning – making it easier for the public to engage with the planning process.
- Planning – reducing invalid planning applications
- Adult social care front door
- Income management system
- Platform low code capabilities for commercial and traded services
This series of articles summarises the work, what we have learnt and how it is helping us.
Spotlight on Adult Social Care
Redbridge project to identify opportunities to increase preventative interventions and effective triaging
Working with the Department of Health & Social Care we had completed a discovery exercise about how digital and understanding people’s needs could help to transform adult social care. The work identified opportunities to improve our ‘front door’ to reduce the strain on the first contact team and improve the experience and outcomes for residents.
Redbridge was seeking partners to be involved in a 12-week discovery looking at how residents get in touch with Adult Social Care (ASC). We felt we could contribute to the work and it would help us with ideas and learning to consider how we tackle some of the priorities we had identified.
The Redbridge work focuses on improving awareness, information, and advice for residents, so that people feel more able to help themselves, sooner. Over 100 people from different groups were involved in the conversation, including the first contact team (FCT), residents, GPs and community organisations using pop-up research sessions, interviews and co design workshops.
What we learnt:
- why people are coming to Adult Social Care.
- what they might be worried about and the triggers.
- what residents valued with services.
- how to de-risk new products and services.
- social media is a place to get answers and inspiration.
- we know that peoples needs change depending on where they are in the support life cycle e.g. living well, trigger moments and crisis mode.
These findings were consistent with some of the findings in Dorset and strengthens our case for change. As Redbridge move into the next phase of work testing out ideas and possible solutions, we can consider how they might support our transformation in Dorset with the potential for re-use here.
Local Digital Declaration
To help us embed the principles we signed up to in the Local Digital Declaration and support our transformation work at Dorset Council, we have been part of five nationally funded projects.
The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have recently published their latest blog on how they will continue to support the sector with increasing digital maturity: Local Digital update: Adapting our approach to support the sector – DLUHC Digital (blog.gov.uk)
I have worked in communications for 25 years, first as a journalist and then in public and private sector public relations. From Southampton originally, I have lived in beautiful Dorset for the last two decades. My passion for Dorset has also turned into a passion for landscape photography. My other great loves are my family and Southampton Football Club.