CEO Discusses Care Act

Community Integrated Care’s Chief Executive, Neil Matthewman gave a thought-provoking presentation today to fellow leaders on the challenges and opportunities posed by the Care Act.

Neil presented at the ACEVO Autumn Health & Social Care Conference 2014, on the topic of ‘Moving Care Into the Community’.

The ACEVO Conference explores the role of the voluntary sector in delivering the new look health and care system, and it’s integration into commissioning. Neil was joined by the likes of Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt – Former Secretary of State for Health, Paul Martin OBE – CEO, Lesbian and Gay Foundation, and Shirley Cramer CBE – CEO, Royal Society for Public Health.

Neil’s presentation responded to the key themes of the Care Act; that organisations must provide integrated, preventative services that promote people’s wellbeing and the outcomes that matter to them, offer real choice for people receiving support and recognise the needs of people in caring roles.

He discussed in detail how Community Integrated Care have responded to this; perhaps the most important change to the sector since the inception of the National Health Service in the 1940s – with the launch of our five-year strategy, which responds to the principles of the Care Act.

Neil also explained plans for a Learning and Development Academy, which will offer career pathways and appropriate training and development to every colleague. From new apprentices to more experienced staff, staff will know what it takes for them to progress to the next stage in their career and will have the support available to take them forward.

Community Integrated Care has also launched its Personalisation Project, which sees specialist training for all staff, and every person supported and colleague signed up to create a One-Page Profile to promote skills-matching between staff teams and the people they support.

Neil Matthewman says, “At Community Integrated Care, we strive to ensure that our ambitious organisational development plans fit with the developing agenda outlined within the Care Act.”

“It’s vital that the entire care sector responds to the changes that the Care Act brings and how we can best practically implement them. Today’s conference brought together excellent examples of good practice from ACEVO members across the North of England; it has been great to see organisations engaged with this developing change to the way we work.”