Our commissioning approach for adults, children and families in Gateshead - commissioning priorities 2024-2025
1. Home Care for older and disabled people
Home Care is essential in supporting the independence of many hundreds of older and disabled people in Gateshead to continue to live independently in their own home. It is intended to sustain the current capacity of local home care provision and extend it by approximately 2,000 hours weekly or 18%. This will provide much needed support at home for people who might otherwise be admitted to residential care, so losing their independence and sense of belonging to their local community.
The biggest challenge to home care provision nationally is workforce recruitment and retention, although Gateshead and the Northeast is somewhat less vulnerable to this than other parts of the UK. The council has managed to retain good supply during difficult times, including managing demand from hospital discharge and reducing delays for people in the community awaiting packages of care. Nonetheless there are risks particularly in the rural West of the Borough and the regional market remains vulnerable to sudden shifts in demand and a growing reliance on overseas workers.
There are economic and practical issues arising from the current configuration of the market and the services it provides. The proliferation of short or very short calls of less than 30 minutes is part of a historical "time and task" approach to home care. Whilst proposed changes will reduce them to some degree it would be impracticable and uneconomic to eradicate them at this stage. The current dispersed, multi-lateral approach to call scheduling and monitoring software also raises issues and administrative challenges.
Home Care is being fully recommissioned for the first time for many years, along with a reset of contractual terms and the promotion of an outcome focused model of support and contracting. The new Home Care Framework will be in place in early Autumn 2024. This is a very substantial undertaking and requires the support of many services across the council.