Health and social care services in North Lanarkshire are exploring better ways of working to ensure people receive a quick and effective response the first time.
Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire (HSCNL) is determined people receive a prompt service, with a focus on helping people to help themselves, when they first make contact.
To achieve this, the partnership is adopting the First Point of Contact (FPOC) model to ensure quality conversations are held between staff and service users to support getting it right first time.
HSCNL’s strategic commissioning plan sets out the partnership’s ambitions including its plan to reduce the number of times people are transferred between services and to ensure conversations with service users are open and productive.
FPOC will support people across North Lanarkshire to receive the right support, from the right person, at the right time. It aims to focus on prevention and early intervention, resolving issues quickly and reducing the need for further referral.
The partnership is working with Partners4change for six months to make the health and social care experience as positive as possible for people. As part of this work, Partners4change is introducing ‘Three Conversations’.
This approach has the potential to play a key role in having open conversations with people and families who need support. It is also about the conversations that health and care staff have with colleagues and partners to make things happen and improve the lives of people accessing services.
As a result, an innovation site has been set up in Motherwell to test the ‘Three Conversations’ approach across adult services including access, social work, hospital social work, GP link workers and the voluntary sector. The site’s impact will be evaluated to help guide further development across North Lanarkshire.
Councillor Paul Kelly, chair of the Integration Joint Board’s performance, finance and audit committee, said: “One of our key aims is to ensure we get things right first time and focus on what people feel is most important to them.
“North Lanarkshire, and the country as a whole, faces a significant increase in service demand during a time of demographic change. While this is challenging it’s also an opportunity to listen to the people of North Lanarkshire and deliver the person-centred health and social care that works best for them.
“We understand that people and their families know their own lives and experiences best, so we need to truly engage and listen to them.
“We fully believe that by holding effective conversations with people, families and communities our staff can positively change lives. This ensures we use our resources and skills to help them achieve their goals by connecting them to the right people, communities and organisations.
“Ultimately, we’re determined to ensure the people of North Lanarkshire are supported to look after and improve their own health and wellbeing, live in good health for longer and are in control of the care they receive to enable them to reach their full potential.
“By doing this successfully, it will galvanise people and our communities to be partners and assist in establishing this changing practice as a culture across Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire.”
