Torbay’s Adult Social Care Self-Assessment

Torbay Council has published the second Adult Social Care Self-Assessment, following on from a previous version published in 2024. This latest self assessment covers the financial year 2023/24. This is a holistic assessment of all Adult Social Care services in Torbay commissioned by Torbay Council (with support from NHS Devon) as part of the Integrated Care Partnership and includes:

• Services provided by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
• Local Care Homes and Domiciliary Care (at home) services
• Voluntary Sector services providing Adult Social Care Services
• Support for Carers and the Cared-for

The Self-Assessment report publication represents a snapshot in time and will be reviewed regularly.

Torbay has a strong history of long and deeply embedded integrated working and can be proud of the many benefits that this brings to our population, our services, and the wider Integrated Care System.

The Self-Assessment report and wider approach to Adult Social Care will also support our vision for a happy, healthy and prosperous Torbay, as outlined in our Community and Corporate Plan.

Highlights of the latest Self-Assessment report include:

• Torbay’s Adult Social Care service received on average 1,742 contacts per month.
• Teams completed 2,555 assessments, and developed 3,724 support plans.
• We supported 710,244 hours of care in people’s homes and 779 residential or nursing placements.
• A total of 495 people were supported to have a direct payment.
• Our community helpline, community builders and community activities across the Bay helped 1,692 people access advice, information and support. The Torbay Communities helpline offers access to more than 100 voluntary and community sector organisations.
• 80% of Torbay’s care homes are rated as outstanding or good.
• Torbay’s Learning Disabilities Partnership Board continues to drive improvements. Our Learning Disability and Autism Ambassadors have trained a total of 2,343 NHS staff in the Oliver McGowan approach which ensures health and social care staff have a better understanding of learning disabilities.
• In addition, there are 5,764 unpaid carers on Torbay’s register, with 83% of Carers feeding back that they are very happy with their assessments. The Carers services work with GPs in primary care and the community and voluntary sector to provide advice, guidance and support.

The Self-Assessment also highlights a number of real-life people’s stories which demonstrate the joint working that’s taken place and how it’s benefitting people, including:

Carers support

One Carer said: “I have found Wednesdays every month to be informative. Everyone is friendly and you soon learn from other people, and to have someone listen is the best thing.

“Discussing circumstances is very helpful and I have learnt a lot.”

Social Care Needs Assessment

“Ele’s work with me started with a social care needs assessment. Since then, she has responded to many changes within my circumstances with curiosity, compassion and (when needed) humour. When things have been stable and good, she’s left me to it. When things have changed and not been good, her response has always been proportionate. I enjoy working with her – it does feel like collaboration. I have nothing but praise for the way she has persevered to gain trust and help me live as independently and safely as possible. She understands my needs really well, but also my strengths.”

Technology Enabled Care (TEC)

“I now feel less isolated, my Echo Show lets me see my friends and family. The reminders help me remember things and I enjoy the online bingo, I feel connected again. I am less lonely, and I am able to get out and about more, I feel me again.”

In addition to the successes, Torbay’s adult social care services have had a number of areas highlighted for improvement, following the Peer Review Challenge by the Local Government Association (LGA) in June 2024.

Areas for improvement:

• Enabling more choice and control though our Direct Payments project – this work is well underway already.
• Reducing the use of residential and nursing care home beds and maximising the use of rehabilitation and community reablement.
• Continuing to strengthen the voice and identity of Adult Social Care within the integrated organisation.
• Engaging more with the local population in the future design of integrated health and social care, and ensuring our commissioning and contracting arrangements are inclusive and meet the needs of the local population.
• Developing further provision for unpaid carers.

Next steps:

The Local Accounts Summary for Adult Social Care in Torbay will be published in September and we will be featuring a number of local success stories through videos and other media so watch this space for those. It was also announced that Torbay’s Adult Social Care services would be in the next tranche of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections so it is anticipated this will take place in the next few months.

Health and social care services are also working together on a Transformation programme to improve the efficiency of services and a new IT system for staff to manage the records of those who access adult social care – which will be rolled out over the next 12 months - will be a key feature of this.

You can download the full Self-Assessment report below.