HSCP Transformation: Care at Home

A survey is open until 6 July.

Before you complete the survey, you may wish to read the below frequently asked questions, which provide more information about reablement care, the proposal, and how it might affect people who currently receive care at home from Falkirk Council teams.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is reablement care?

Reablement supports people to do things for themselves. It is a ‘doing with’ approach, in contrast to traditional home care which tends to ‘do for’.

Reablement support helps people to retain or regain their skills and confidence so they can learn to manage again after a period of illness.

The service is usually provided in the person’s own home by a team of mainly social care professionals.

Reablement aims to assist people to continue to live as they wish. It helps people to do ordinary activities like cooking meals, washing, dressing, moving about the home and going out.

Reablement may be used to support discharge from hospital, prevent readmission or enable an individual to remain living at home. It is typically provided for up to six weeks although it is not unusual for someone to need only a couple of weeks of reablement.

Who will receive reablement care?

Anyone new to receiving care at home support or anyone leaving hospital will have the opportunity to receive reablement care.

What happens after I receive reablement care?

After the reablement period, your care needs will be reviewed. If you need ongoing care at home, we will explain your options. You can choose your own provider or ask Falkirk Council to arrange a provider for you.

After a stay in hospital, can I return to my previous care provider?

If you already had a care package in place and wish to return to your previous care provider, we will help you to do so if possible. Some people’s care needs may change after a hospital visit. This may mean your care provider is no longer able to meet your care needs.

What care will the Falkirk Council team support?

Falkirk Council’s Care and Support Team will focus on reablement support. The team will also provide temporary care if a provider is unable to and long-term support for people with complex care needs.

What care at home support will be provided by Falkirk Council?

Falkirk Council’s Care at Home team will become reablement focused, with most ongoing packages of care being delivered by one of the trusted local providers.

The Falkirk Council team will also provide care at home where enhanced support is required or where needs cannot be met by other providers. Most people will receive their ongoing care at home support from other local providers.

The criteria for Falkirk Council’s care at home will be established by an expert task group. The definition is likely to include people receiving palliative and end-of-life care, home oxygen, stoma care, chronic ill health, learning disability, care requiring specialised equipment, and any package of care which local providers are unable to support.

The criteria will also consider the overall impact that changing provider may have upon an individual.

We expect there to be some professional discretion in applying the agreed criteria to ensure individuals are not subject to disproportionate disruption or significant stress.

If I need to change care provider from Falkirk Council, how will this happen?

If Falkirk Council is no longer the most suitable provider to deliver your care, we will let you know. An initial review will check whether you are getting the right care from the right place.

If you need to move to a new provider, you can choose your own or ask Falkirk Council to choose one for you.

There are over 80 providers on Falkirk’s Care and Support at Home Framework. All care providers are registered with the Care Inspectorate and compliant with the appropriate regulatory bodies and subject to internal contract monitoring.

The framework is used to commission care services from local organisations and prioritises care quality, ensuring higher graded providers are awarded care packages. The majority (90%) of the providers on the Partnership’s framework have received a ‘Good’ or better grading from the Care Inspectorate.

When changing provider, we will arrange a follow up review to ensure your care is right. If you pay for your care, the cost of your care will not change when moving providers. Falkirk Council’s Social Work Adult Services will still manage your care plan.