Issue - meetings

The Board received an update on the Research and Practice Development Care Partnership Co-creation Final Report, of using co-creation to explore public and professionals’ awareness of location and types of care services (the Continuum of Care) available to older people: a qualitative approach. 

Members welcomed Professor Robert McSherry, Dr Nellie Makhumula-Nkhoma and Rhian Crompton, from Nursing and Practice Development in Health and Social Care at the University of Chester.

The Research and Practice Development Care Partnership was a joint venture between Halton Borough Council’s Adult Social Care, the University of Chester, Age UK Mid Mersey and the Caja Group.  The Partnership aimed to improve experiences of care by forging closer links between social care professionals and researchers.  They were part of a national NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) funded programme of Creating Care Partnerships.

It was reported that since Covid-19, some fundamental questions were raised around the provision of domiciliary care and care services and their impact on an older person’s quality of life and health and wellbeing.  The Continuum of Care and Care Spectra were essential attributes and characteristics aligned to understanding peoples experiences of health and wellbeing throughout the life course.  It was important that these helped people and society to shift the perspective from personal successes and failures.

The report described the methodology used for the project and its findings.   In conclusion, Members were advised that the co-creation and creative methodologies had proved useful tools in evaluating awareness of care services available to older people, by both the public and professionals.  The findings highlighted the importance of location in terms of both home care and community care where people could be close to family and friends, local amenities, GP services etc.

Members welcomed the Report and its findings and the following comments were made:

·       The public and stakeholder engagement was good, as it was important to include the opinions of a wide range of people;

·       It was refreshing to hear that the University of Chester was conducting the research project as opposed to consultants;

·       The Council had made a submission to the NHIR relating to the use of Digital Technologies that focussed on Adult Social Care, in particular those with learning disabilities;

·       Mr Leo (One Halton) would contact the Partnership to arrange collaboration between them; and

·       Medium Term Recommendations – one Member considered that the low priority section comments (below) should be move to a higher priority:

Create accessible free community based space for connecting; and, explore the possibility of merging existing assessment methods into a single holistic individualised framework.

         On behalf of the Board, the Chair thanked the guests for their presentation and sharing the report.

RESOLVED: That the report and recommendations be noted.