New direction for social care in South Lanarkshire

And continued close collaboration with partners and communities – who have challenged health and social care leaders to move away from traditional models of care – is at the heart of a blueprint for the future.

Soumen Sengupta, director of Health and Social Care, said South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board’s Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022 to 2025 sets out a bold new direction.

“I can understand how devising a plan in the current context – when we’re moving from one period of uncertainty to arguably another – could be easily dismissed as a ‘tick-box’ exercise,” he said.

“Our plan, however, has been shaped by the real experiences of people in our communities and that has allowed us to chart a new course.

“The plan clearly sets out support for our staff, services, partners and communities to recover, while promoting meaningful renewal and reinvigoration.”

The plan was informed by evidence and insights from a range of sources, including a comprehensive and in-depth public engagement process. This process has been captured in an animation at https://vimeo.com/690537456.

Soumen said: “What is most striking is that all the information we’ve gleaned reinforces three key areas.

“Firstly, our health and social care services make a substantial difference to people’s lives – but we are going to have to do more than just ‘more of the same’ if we really want to improve outcomes and tackle inequalities.

“Secondly, our communities value their independence and very much see the heart of health and social care provision being not within NHS or council buildings, but within their own homes.

“And thirdly, the pandemic has shown that staff and communities can innovate at pace and are much more open to change than we might have thought before. In conversations and feedback, we’ve been challenged to cast off nostalgia towards traditional models of care to meet aspirations with bold solutions.”

The plan identifies three concrete priorities which will shape the delivery of health and social care over the next three years and beyond.

• Ensuring that early intervention, prevention and addressing inequalities are much more prominent across all service areas.

• Increasing access to a greater variety of activities and supports that address mental health and addictions.

• Sustaining and improving day-to-day health and social care services, ensuring all services are working at their best and are accessible to our diverse communities.

Soumen added: “Achieving these and our longer-term ambitions will be dependent on a simple, fundamental factor – the quality of our partnerships. If there was ever a time for thinking differently about health and social care, it’s surely now. This plan represents that very blueprint.”

Craig Cunningham, head of commissioning and performance for South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, thanked all those who invested their time to devise the plan.

He added: “The delivery of this plan is the result of a tremendous effort.”