Home Plus Contract Awarded to Care & Repair (Leeds) Once Again
The Director of Public Health agreed to award a contract to Care & Repair (Leeds) with effect from 1st October 2023 until 30th September 2026, with an option to extend for a further 24 months in any combination.
Care & Repair is the Lead Partner working in collaboration with Age UK Leeds and Groundwork Green Doctor Leeds. The service is citywide and is aimed at enabling and maintaining independent living through improving health at home, in particular helping to prevent falls and minimise the impact of cold home living for those with long term health conditions (particularly cold related long term health conditions), older people living with frailty, those at risk of falling, those on low incomes, those who may be isolated, those with disabilities, those with dependent children, those at higher risk of poor health outcomes because of where they live, and those from ethnically diverse backgrounds. The service aims to help individuals lead full lives and at the same time stay out of hospital and institutional care.
In 2022 the service founded a client feedback forum with a small group of previous clients aiming to discuss the quality and delivery of the service the information collected at these feedback forums will influence the ongoing delivery of the service. The service is working to build the numbers of attendees at the feedback forums and making the group more representative of the target client group, improving client representation in the shaping of the service will be a focus of the new service during mobilisation and in the first few years
Awarding the contract to continue with a service which supports older people, those with long-term health conditions, those at risk of falls, those who are experiencing fuel poverty, with a focus on groups that have higher levels of need (e.g. those from ethnically diverse backgrounds and those living in the areas of the city with higher levels of deprivation) will have a wide-ranging positive impact on a range of specific groups in the city. As the service promotes individuals to be independent in their homes for longer this will support people to maintain relationships and links they have to their community. The current service shows around 15% of clients feel more involved in their local community, and just under 30% feel they have improved support networks. There will be a stronger focus in the new service around outcomes with a new requirement for follow up conversations to be undertaken with clients to provide further information about their long-term improvements to health.
The Home Plus (Leeds) service will target client groups who we know are likely to be experiencing poor health from the impact of the cost of living, from the impact of the pandemic, at more risk of falling and where cold home living can have a high impact on health. The service will continue to have a holistic consideration of the needs of the client and make onward referrals for further or specialist support for those who need it. This will give clients access to other services in the city to support their wellbeing.