Annual Performance Report 2021/22
Falkirk’s Integration Joint Board has approved the publication of the Health and Social Care Partnership’s 6th Annual Performance Report.
The report summarises a year of recovery and demonstrates the resilience of Falkirk’s local communities, which have worked flexibly to refresh services following the pandemic.
Patricia Cassidy, Chief Officer, Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership comments: “Our continued recovery following the pandemic has encouraged colleagues to work creatively to adapt and overcome many challenges.
“As demonstrated in this report, local services and communities are also taking this opportunity to improve and adapt, reshaping services which are fit for the future.
“I thank all colleagues and partners for their ongoing efforts to deliver our vision and essential health and social care services for local people and those most in need, and hope we can all share in the successes of delivering a brighter and healthier future for the people of Falkirk.”
Dr Michele McClung, Chair, Integration Joint Board, added: “While we embark on another ambitious year, working towards transforming primary care, establishing a new strategic plan, and reinvigorating services delivered from the Falkirk Community Hospital Site, it is encouraging to look back and review the positive progress made so far.”
Performance Spotlight
Included in the report are examples of the impact and positive outcomes made possible by the efforts of colleagues working in Falkirk’s health and care services, a snapshot of this year’s achievements includes:
- More than 5,000 people have used the Living Well Falkirk website this year to access advice, assess their needs, and find ways of improving their quality of life.
- Adapting the Living Well model post-pandemic, the Partnership trialled a virtual drop-in hub which used NearMe video calls to provide advice and support. The pilot offered immediate access to support from a range of partners, including social work service, community link workers, FDAMH, Strathcarron Hospice, and Cyrenians.
- Produced jointly with CVS Falkirk, the Partnership published a new Community Resource Pack, offering guidance and tools for groups restarting or setting up activities following the pandemic. The pack was accompanied by the Partnership’s £500 Start Up Grants, which have supported 15 community groups since November 2021.
- Receiving recognition of the extraordinary effort and dedication of staff during the pandemic, members of Falkirk’s Home First Team received awards in the Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours List. Nicola Harvey, Deborah Jackson, and Claire Duffy were awarded a BEM for services to health and social care.
- Over 18,000 items of equipment were provided via the Joint Loan Equipment Service (JLES) – a 24% increase compared to the previous year. Following a drive to encourage the return of items following their use, the service has had more than 15,700 pieces returned to be reused or recycled (up 25% on the previous year).
- Work continues at pace to produce a new masterplan for Falkirk Community Hospital, which will set out a vision for how existing services could be improved and expanded across the site.
- A new household support and befriending service has been launched for older people in Falkirk, delivered by Food Train and commissioned by the Partnership to help residents aged 65 and over to live better lives in their own homes.
- Falkirk’s Community Choices programme, run in collaboration with the Partnership and Falkirk Council, awarded more than £640,000 to 60 projects and organisations this year. The grants were awarded following two rounds of public votes, which help to award funding based on the needs of local communities. The funding supports a range of health and wellbeing initiatives, which seek to build/develop something new, improve an assess or service, or purchase equipment.
- Our Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS) helped Falkirk become the first local authority in Scotland to ‘go live’ with an end-to-end digital telecare service. A national frontrunner in upgrading systems and equipment to meet new digital standards, the service offers quicker, more efficient processes to help people live independent in their own homes.
- In December, an external ‘Best Value’ audit of Falkirk Council, conducted by Audit Scotland, recognised the strong progress made during the pandemic to change the way health and social care services are delivered.
- Reducing demand on Forth Valley Royal Hospital, the Partnership led a collaborative project to improve patient flow within hospital. The new Home from Hospital Partnership helps reduce admissions by offering immediate access to a range of community-led support. The project involves many partners, including Strathcarron Hospice, the Royal Voluntary Service, Dial-a-Journey, Food Train, local Carers Centres, and Falkirk and Stirling & Clackmannanshire HSCPs. The positive findings of the projects evaluation have been presented to colleagues across Scotland, with the team taking a poster to the NHS Scotland Event 2022 in June 2022.
- In January, a joint inspection report commended the practices and processes in place to ensure adults at risk of harm are safe, protected and supported in Falkirk. A review of local casework highlighted how a “diligent and energetic” strategic vision for adult protection underpinned the “robust and responsive” approach teams applied to their work during the pandemic.
The Annual Performance Report covers the full range of activity and services across the Partnership, and how efforts relate to the national outcomes for health and social care.
To help summarise the large number of projects and successes, an explainer video has been produced to highlight progress made in each outcome area.
Publication
Scotland’s Health and Social Care Partnerships are required to publish annual reports by 31 July each year under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) Regulations 2014. The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020, and its partial extension, allowed Partnerships to postpone the publication of 2021/22 annual reports until the end of September 2022.