Healthwatch Norfolk was asked to find out more about areas of expected and current high demand in adult social care for over-65s in Norfolk. It focused on three main areas:
- How well older people are listened to by adult social care
- The role of adult social care in hospital discharge
- Experiences of people getting help from adult social care after a dementia diagnosis.
During the first year of this three-year project, we carried out a survey which received 270 responses and carried out 61 in depth interviews with people receiving support, their carers, and professionals.
Most people told us they felt listened to, with a minority having a less positive experience.
The majority were also happy with their Care Act Assessment, but 19 per cent of respondents (26 people) told us that not all of the people they wanted were involved in their assessments.
We also found a lot of progress still needed to be made around making sure patients and their carers are involved in discussions about discharge from hospital.
There was also a feeling that more support was needed for people who had been diagnosed with dementia and their carers.
Healthwatch Norfolk made a number of recommendations which include:
- Providing more information including hard copies of what the adult social care ‘offer’ is. We also recommended more longer-term check-ins from professionals.
- Make sure patients and carers are consulted explicitly and early about their care options after being discharged from hospital, how they will be paid for and what their preferences are.
- More learning support is offered after a dementia diagnosis about the progression of their condition and how care will be paid for. Additional check-ins are also recommended from professionals, as well as measures to help people stay socially connected
You can download the full detailed report via the link above, or download an executive summary here.
