Agenda item

The Committee are asked to note the contents of the report.

The Committee received a report from the Transformation Programme Manager on the Customer Services Interface with Adult Social Care. 

The Council’s Customer Services “Vision” was “to enable those customers who can, to access services by themselves. For those customers who cannot, we will provide targeted, quality and cost effective services”.

The Committee were informed that the aim was to make it easier for customers to contact the Council enabling it to become more efficient.  This would assist adult social care services in responding to the demographic and financial pressures it faces.

The Adult Social Care service was reorganised in April 2011 around four key areas:

• Front Door (Access)
• Reablement (Prevention)
• Assessment, Re-assessment, Support Planning and Brokerage
• Review, Quality Assurance, Safeguarding and best use of resources

Over the last 6 months, the Front Door services had been enlarged and transferred to Corporate Customer Services.  The Front Door section was made up of two tiers. Tier 1 service carried out the initial contact diagnostic, signposting callers where possible to access appropriate agencies or services, or if a social care need was identified, it carried out the initial contact assessment using the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) criteria to determine eligibility.  Tier 2 provided the first-line duty service, liaison with the other adult social care support functions (e.g. brokerage and safeguarding) and passing on enquiries to the relevant back-office team to progress cases as appropriate.

The Committee were informed that information and advice was key and that as part of the Adults Transformation Programme, and following consultation with key local stakeholders, a new model of Information and Advice was agreed in May 2011.  This included the development of an accessible new website, a shop on High Street, Romford and outreach services.  It was also important that there was only one version of advice for all to use, and different channels in which to get the information.

In addition to financial benefits, improvements in the quality of the overall customer experience for Adult Social Care services customers were expected and would include:

• The reduction in the number of times a customer was asked to provide the same information to the Council.

• Consistency in information provision ensuring that regardless of channel of contact used, or the staff with whom the customer is speaking, the information received is the same.

• Improved responsiveness to contact, removing delays and causing customer irritation.

• Reduced volume of service complaints

• Enhanced customer insight and management information reporting enabling future service provision to be better targeted at customer needs.

Members asked about the Advice Centre which was due to open in January 2012 on High Street and if this was on target.  Officers explained that there was a tight timescale, and no room for slippage, therefore they would open on 31 January.  It was explained that the application was in, and there had been no objections, the builder had been appointed to do the refit and the funding was in place.

As regards advertising of the Advice Centre, officers explained that there were outreach services in Queens and the Polyclinic, and they wanted to engage with 300 vulnerable people a year.  There was flexibility to go out to different areas to bring the services to the people.  Advertising would be in the Romford Recorder, on radio, via advertising boards and in Living.  The Advice Centre would also open late one evening and on a Saturday.

Members asked about the logging and monitoring of customers.  Officers explained that when a client presented either on the telephone, on the internet or in person, all contributing factors would be looked at to ensure safeguarding.  The model followed that of Stockport Council and Havering could only improve upon it.  Officers explained that the centre was led by the voluntary sector, as clients often found this easier to access.  The three stakeholder organisations were Citizens Advice Bureau, Crossroads and Age Concern.

The Committee noted the report and thanked officers for the informative report.