the provision of social care for people with hearing loss chris wood senior research & policy...
TRANSCRIPT
The provision of social care for people with hearing loss
www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/lifesupport
Chris WoodSenior Research & Policy Officer
21 June 2013
WHY?
CONTEXT
• Cost savings – 20% of net spending
• Evidence gap: what social care services are provided for people with hearing loss
• Research needed to monitor social care services for people with hearing loss
WHAT?
WHAT WE WANTED TO FIND OUT
• Understanding need: Do local authorities in England and Wales assess the level of need and make plans to support people with hearing loss?
• Meeting need: What services are on offer to meet the needs of people with hearing loss?
• Access to services: How can people with hearing loss access the services provided by local authorities?
HOW?
SURVEY: SENSORY SERVICES
Thank You • ADASS, who helped us with the research• Individuals who took the time to complete our
survey.
Responses• England: May and June 2012. 64 (out of 152
surveyed) responded – 43% response rate. • Wales: August 2012. 8 (of the 22 surveyed)
responded – 36% response rate.
KEY FINDINGS: ENGLAND
• Understanding need
• Meeting need
• Access to services
KEY FINDINGS: ENGLAND
• Understanding need
• Meeting need
• Access to services
UNDERSTANDING NEED
We looked at whether:
• Hearing loss appears in LA’s JSNAs
• LAs have strategies to plan their services for people with hearing loss
• Feedback is gathered from people with hearing loss.
JSNAS AND STRATEGIES
• One-third of respondents said that hearing loss appears as a specific issue in their JSNA.
• Two-thirds said it does not or they did not know
• Half said they have a sensory loss strategy
• One in four respondents said they have a strategy dedicated to hearing loss.
• Two-fifths of respondents said they have no sensory loss strategy in place.
SERVICE USER FEEDBACK
• Most (76%) do collect user feedback
• Some areas engage more than others:
“Our service users are involved in a county strategy group, which is currently writing a hearing loss section for inclusion in the JSNA.”
• However, one in 10 do not gather any service feedback from people with hearing loss.
KEY FINDINGS: ENGLAND
• Understanding need
• Meeting need
• Access to services
MEETING NEED
We asked about:
• Services for people who do meet the eligibility criteria
• Services for people who do not meet the eligibility criteria
• Resource allocation
MEETING NEED: SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WHO DO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
OTHER FORMS OF SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WHO DO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
• coping and communication skills
• specialist rehabilitation
• tenancy support
• support groups
• equipment advice and demonstrations
• signing classes
• counselling
MEETING NEED: SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
MEETING NEED: RESOURCE ALLOCATION
• Fewer than half of the respondents (46%), said the RAS they use for personal budgets allocates points for communication support needs
The remainder said their RAS does not, or they do not know
KEY FINDINGS: ENGLAND
• Understanding need
• Meeting need
• Access to services
ACCESS TO SERVICES
We asked about:
• How can people with hearing loss get information about LA services?
• Where do assessments take place?
• British Sign Language interpreters
ACCESS TO SERVICES: INFORMATION
ACCESS TO SERVICES: ASSESSMENT
• Other places: audiology clinics, hospitals, care homes, community centres, charities
• One authority: “wherever the client wants”
ACCESS TO SERVICES: BSL USERS
When a BSL user needs information or an assessment:
• In some cases a team member trained to interpreter level (level 6) in BSL is available
• In 80% of cases the service is delivered by an underqualified interpreter: a member of the team with no formal BSL training or up to level 3 BSL, or a friend or family member
Better processes must be introduced to book proper communication support where it is needed
RECOMMENDATIONS
UNDERSTANDING NEED
All local authorities should:
• Assess the needs of local people with hearing loss by including it in the JSNA (currently only one third do)
• Make plans to engage with and provide high-quality services for this population
• Monitor and evaluate services provided
MEETING NEED
• Wide range of services, information and signposting provided by some - share this good practice, ensure individuals don’t miss out
• Better provision of interpreters
• Improve signposting to Lipreading classes and information on Access to Work
• All should ensure RAS allocates points for communication support
ACCESS TO SERVICES
• LAs provide information on services in a variety of ways
• Not everyone knows about services – share good practice of providing information to ensure all know about them
• Offer assessments and information in convenient locations
• BSL users must be provided with qualified interpreters (80% are now underqualified)
HOW TO MAKE THESE CHANGES?
