Examples of some of the outcomes
When we assess a council we look at the seven main areas that
people would like from services. We call these
outcomes.
Here is an example of a few of the outcomes and what an
excellent council would do:
Better health
An excellent council makes sure that there is really good clear
information on how to stay healthy and that you know about it.
They give you information in the way you need it, which might be
in large print, with pictures, in other languages, on tape, on
video or in Braille.
You can get useful advice and support about keeping healthy.
All this helps people who use services and carers to stay
healthy.
The council works with other agencies to meet people’s
needs.
People do not have to keep telling different services about
their needs because organisations work together.
People only go to hospital when they need to. People are given
the best care outside of hospital, which helps them stay out of
hospital.
If people need to go into hospital, they leave when they feel
better, and are helped back at home to get better with care that
meets their needs.
Quality of life
The council supports people who use services and carers to have
choice and control in their lives.
The council gives people support at the level they need it. They
work in different ways depending on what the person wants and
needs.
They support people to live the lives they want to and help
carers. They help people when they first need it rather than
waiting until things get worse.
It is easy for people to get the services they need and most
people are happy with them. Care managers help people to find other
services they need.
They have good services in place for everyone even if a person’s
disability is rare. If the council does not have everything for the
person with a rare disability, they get help from councils
nearby.
Almost all the people who use services say that they feel safe
in their home.
Making a positive contribution
People who use services and carers are supported to speak up and
say what they think without feeling scared or looked down on.
They feel happy that they have the skills they need to take part
in their community.
Almost all people who use social services and carers are
included in planning services and making them better.
The council should be able to show that they have listened to
what people have said, and that they have used their ideas to make
services better.
The people who have helped should feel that their ideas have
been used to make things better.
People from the whole community are supported to become
volunteers in social care and support services. Lots of groups have
got volunteers and are making good use of them.
More choice and control
From the time you first speak to someone, your needs are looked
at and your services are planned with respect and when you need
them.
Almost all people using social services and carers feel they
know what they need to know about their services because they are
given information in a way they need.
It is easy to understand how to make a complaint or comment
about a service. Complaints to the council are dealt with quickly
and with respect. People are told what is happening about their
complaint.
Services are planned to make sure that people can get the
support they need outside working hours.
People who use services and carers say that they only have to
tell their story once. They have care plans and know how to get
information that is held about them.
People can have an advocate if they want to help them tell their
story and speak up.
People are supported to live in their own home if they wish to.
If people live in a care home, they do not have to move just
because of money.
The council helps people have more control through direct
payments and individual budgets.
Support and training around this are also given. The council
needs to show that people feel more in control.
Freedom from discrimination and harassment
The rules about who can get a service are clear and easy to
understand. People can get information that is held about them in
the way they want and need it.
People can have an assessment to look at the support they need,
whether they are going to be paying for services or not.
The council makes sure that people from black and minority
ethnic communities are getting the support they need. It follows
the rules about this for local Government and checks how well it is
doing often.
The council has Disability Equality Scheme - a plan to make sure
that disabled people are treated fairly and equally. It is part of
a bigger plan to make sure that everybody is treated fairly.
People who use services were involved in writing the plan and
the council can show how it is making a difference to people’s
lives.
People know the name of the person or team that helps them work
out what help they would like and get the right support that fits
their needs.
Economic well being
The council and the Primary Care Trust work well together to
organise and pay for care. If they do not agree, this should not
affect the person who is using the service.
There is a choice of jobs and training for everyone. The council
works with other organisations to make sure people get the advice
and help they need.
Carers get the support they need to carry on working or go back
to work.
By helping people when they first need it rather than waiting
until things get worse, there are likely to be fewer care costs in
the future.
Personal dignity and respect
People are supported to be clean and comfortable and get the
support they want and need with personal care.
People are kept safe from abuse and bullying and from being left
without the care that they need.
All council staff and workers in other organisations know what
to do if they think or they are told that a person is being abused
or treated badly.
People feel they can speak up if they or somebody else is being
treated badly. These issues are dealt with quickly and in the right
way.
Almost everyone who lives in a care home or supported living has
a single room.
People are actively supported to have the relationships they
want to and with who they want.