North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus, North East Lincolnshire Council, the third sector and members of the public are working together to develop a one-stop, high quality and user-friendly information and advice website for all adult social care, health care and third sector services in North East Lincolnshire.
The website is aimed at everyone, individuals who need social care, health or other forms of help, self-funders of care the general public and will offer a community directory of all help and support services that are on offer in North East Lincolnshire including public, private and third sector services.
Care professionals will also be able to signpost people to appropriate care services available in the community. The website is built ‘no door is the wrong door’ principle so that whatever organisation an individual first contacts to gain information and help, whether it be through the Care Trust Plus, VANEL, a voluntary organisation or the Council, they can find or signpost you to the right source of help.
The website in the future will allow the local public to browse for the information they need in different ways, write a review of services they have used, look at star ratings of services, join a forum to chat to others, create their own shopping basket of services and download or print information leaflets.
Ann Reavey, a public representative for Accord, said: "Having personal experience of the difficulties of where to go and who to ask when caring for the sick and needing help, I am only too pleased to help raise awareness to others.
“To have all the information in one place will help everyone to obtain the answers they need from the start and will be there to refer to, should a new problem arise, so giving everyone the confidence that help is easily at hand".
Improvement are also being made to the range of health and social care information available for anyone accessing care and support services now and in the future, such as leaflets on different health and social care topics and providing information in different formats such as large print, easy read, Braille, DVDs and audio.
For individuals who do not have access to the internet, the Care Trust Plus adult social care team can be contacted to signpost people to services, request information and print information leaflets for their use.
Sarah Avery, Transforming Care communications manager, said: “We are committed to offering everyone easily accessible, reliable and better quality information and advice to enable the population of North East Lincolnshire to have greater choice, be more in control and make decisions about their personal health, social care and other support needs and preferences.
“All our work is being led by what individuals using services and members of the public say are important to them, so we can make sure ensure we provide information and advice in a way that meets the needs and wants of our local community.”
The information and advice website project is part of a national Transformation Programme and Putting People First Agenda being implemented by the Care Trust Plus to radically change the way in which people receive health and social care to cater for a wider range of health and social care needs and to provide more services to help people live independently for longer.
For more information contact Sarah Avery, Transforming Care communications manager on (01472) 625300 or e-mail Sarah.Avery@nelctp.nhs.uk